An uneasy idealism: The reconstruction of American adolescence from World War II to the War on Poverty
Item
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Title
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An uneasy idealism: The reconstruction of American adolescence from World War II to the War on Poverty
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:9ba5bb95e61c:10027
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identifier
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10114
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Creator
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Waltzer, Lucas S.,
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Contributor
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David Nasaw
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Date
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2009
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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American history | American studies | 1950s | Adolescence | Juvenile Delinquency | Post World War II
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Abstract
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This dissertation argues that American adolescence was reconstructed in the two decades after the end of World War II. At the beginning of the period, adolescent behavior was widely seen as a function of biological and psychological factors inside the individual. By the end, more adults understood the behavior of the young as reflective of the broader social, cultural, and political currents in American life. This transition was primarily visible in the reformulation of juvenile delinquency policy during these years. It was also present in the other realms where adolescence was constructed: in the mass media's investigation and entrepreneurial exploitation of youth, in the discourses that surrounded youth culture and consumption, in battles over school curricula, and in the way adolescence was invoked by politicians and other authority figures. This project looks at the reconstruction of adolescence both nationally and in New York City, and ultimately demonstrates that the concept is often about much more than the collective experiences of an age group made up of individuals who are transitioning to adulthood.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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History
