Studying Youth Politics: A Reply to Flacks

Abstract

As a 1960s prominent activist and researcher for over two decades focusing on social psychology of Sixties Dick Flacks interweaves the activist-researcher perspectives in his commentary. To Flacks, 1960s means left-wing activism as has been the case with many researchers concerned with the 1960s generation, either during the 1960s or thereafter. Despite the research and media attention given to leftist activists, the 1960s generation represented more than the political activity of youth on the radical left. With the recent resurgence of interest in the 1960s generation, criticism has been leveled at student activist research for concentrating primarily on leftist youth and neglecting political right-wing and mainstream youth who also were politically active in the 1960s (Chronicle of Higher Education, April, 6, 1988, pp. A4-5). In conducting research on student activism, political generations, and youth politics for more than 20 years, it has been our position that youth movements in general and the 1960s generation in particular can best be understood from a comparative perspective. We have compared the political orientations of young people who are: (1) members of groups on the political left versus those on the political right; (2) radical versus moderate activists; (3) activists versus nonactivists; (4) the politics of young people in various strata of society, such as college versus noncollege youth; (4) youthful attitudes and behavior during periods of heightened political generational activity versus times of relatively little youthful political activity; and (5) the status of youth and youth movements around the world from the nineteenth century into contemporary times. In order to address Flacks' commentary, we first underscore some of the major similarities in our research and findings over the past two decades, followed by a discussion of Flacks' observations. Next, several themes are outlined suggested by our research from the 1960s through the 1980s. A brief assessment of youth politics as an area of inquiry concludes our reply.