Act Your Age! A Cultural Construction of Adolescence. Critical Social Thought. Second Edition (original) (raw)

2012, Routledge Taylor Francis Group

In her book, Act Your Age! A Cultural Construction of Adolescence, Nancy Lesko argues that adolescence is socially constructed within a historical and cultural context that frames the way that much of the world looks at youth. Lesko's central question is: "What are the systems of ideas that 'make' possible the adolescence that we see, think, feel and act upon?" (p. 8). This invites a consideration of notions of youth present in American modern culture using post-structural, feminist and post-colonial theoretical frameworks. As a social worker engaged in outreach with youth, this book provides me an opportunity to step back and examine how I think about the population I have been working with. Although Lesko's primary audience may be professionals involved in education, Act Your Age! creates an opportunity for anyone engaged with youth to explore how foundational theorists such as Stanley Hall, Sigmund Freud, and Erik Erikson have framed adolescence. Lesko also gives the reader an opportunity to engage with critical theorists including Michel Foucault, Stuart Hall, Homi Bhaba, and Franz Fanon, using their concepts to unravel the concept of youth. The book traces two dominant understandings of adolescence. First, the biological view assumes that youth aged 12 to 18 have naturally occurring, biologically generated characteristics, behaviours, and needs. Lesko argues that youth are viewed as hormonally overwhelmed, growth-spurting individuals outside of society and history. The developmental framework, discussed in stages of cognitive, psychosocial, or pubertal