Young people have long used popular culture to explore, define and express who they are. For many, popular culture is also a tool of survival. Gone are the days when proscriptive programs were needed for young people to transition to adulthood. Today, youth culture is communicated through information technology, particularly social media, enabling young people to engage the world. Yet, as always, youth culture is often a cause of concern for adults and policy makers. This collection of new essays focuses on modern youth popular culture. There are such topics as social justice and youth mobilization in Ferguson, Missouri, social media and sexual literacy among LGBT youth, and youth culture’s influence on children’s sports.

Yuya Kiuchi is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Michigan State University. His research interests include popular culture, youth culture, African American Studies, technology, and sexuality.

Francisco A. Villarruel is a University Outreach and Engagement senior fellow and a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Michigan State University. He is involved in policy reform related to Latino youth in U.S. juvenile justice systems.

Edited by Yuya Kiuchi and Francisco A. Villarruel
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 272
Bibliographic Info: 7 photos, bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9884-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2512-6
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction 1
Youth in Virtual Public Space: Social Justice and Youth Mobilization in #Ferguson (Yuya Kiuchi) 7
#GirlsFightBack: How Girls Are Using Social Network Sites and Online Communities to Combat Sexism (Vicki Burns and Asia A. Eaton) 20
Internet, Social Media and Sexual Literacy: Help or Hindrance for LGBTQ Youth? (Nicole ­Polen-Petit) 46
Youth Adult Partnerships: ­Re-Mixing Communities through Youth Popular Culture (John A. Oliver and Willie S. Anderson) 61
FaithFull Youth: How Religious Youth Live in the Tension Between Faith Culture and Popular Culture (Bryan Currie) 77
Body Art Among Transgender Youth: Marking Social Support, Reclaiming the Body and Creating a Narrative of Identity (Jenifer K. McGuire and Alison Chrisler) 97
Dance as ­Youth-Adult Partnership: Promoting Transformation through Reflection and Embodiment in the Teen JUSTICE Project (Elizabeth Sharp, Darla J. Johnson and Nicole Wesley) 119
Using Hip Hop Culture and Code Switching as a Way to Connect, Engage and Empower Youth (Jesse Silva, Stella Silva and Joshua Quinn) 133
Youth Culture and Its Influence on Children’s Sport (Scott Westfall and Daniel Gould) 157
The Use of Popular Culture Research in Deconstructing Stereotypes and Developing Identities: Perspectives of American Youth in Amsterdam’s Coffeehouses and Red Light District (Martha ­Montero-Sieburth) 183
Re-Fashioning the Agriculture: No-gal (Farming Gals) and Positive Youth Development in Japan (Mariko Izumi and Naomi Kagawa) 201
Debunking Myths about Adolescents: Discovering Unique Characteristics of the Adolescent Brain (Lori Hoisington and Noah S.L. Crimmins) 222
Public (Youth) Policy and Emerging Culture: How Policy Facilitates an (Unintended) Youth Pop Culture (Fairy ­Cham-Villaroman, Charles W. Bates and Francisco A. Villarruel) 240
About the Contributors 259
Index 263

“Recommended”—Choice.