Citizenship as spiritual practice: the role of spiritualty in youth activism

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper seeks to explore citizenship practices among racialized youth in a ‘priority’ neighborhood in Toronto. Based on 16 months of ethnographic research, this paper examines an under-researched element of youth citizenship and belonging; the role of spirituality. Informed by the works of anti-racist feminists and Indigenous scholars, this paper examines how youth draw on spirituality in their daily lives to cope with everyday oppressions. For these youth, spirituality intersects with their art and informs their sense of activism or what they refer to as ‘artivism’. This paper argues that spirituality can inform a type of citizenship that questions systemic injustices while simultaneously acknowledging the importance of self-care. It produces a form of inclusionary politics steeped in spiritual practices.