Interesting insight into American student activism through the ages...

As if Ms. Sipel was writing in response to my previous blog post, a recent article on student activism over the past century emerged adding insight to my research. While this article is not long, it was inspiring. I have taken an external/international approach to looking for activism from college students because I (somewhat unjustifiably) have this notion that my generation, my fellow American students, have abandoned student activism in the physical form. Like many of the members of our senior generations, I look at the what students do today in the U.S. as being inferior to the strides made by the student activists of the 1960s. But I was wrong to assume that college students use little more than blogs, facebook, and other forms of social media to shed light onto their issues of concern.

In this article the author brought me back to reality. American students have not lost their rebellious and vocal tendencies. This article address the forms of activism taken by students in California who are protesting the drastic budget cuts being made that are currently impacting the University of California system of higher education. Like their brethren in Yemen, angry and frustrated students who see their futures being negatively impacted by a governing body are literally taking to the streets. As can be seen in this photographic evidence, the youth of California are following in the footsteps laid out just over 40 years ago. While this account of the protests does take a very biased approach, it still excites me to realize that student activism pertaining to higher learning is still within close proximity.

As I continue my research I hope to compare the driving force behind these movements in relation to those in the Middle East. In my introductory approach, it seems that access to advancement is all these students ask for. And when they are not only not given that access, but are actively pushed further and further from it, they are completely capable of taking a stand, risking their health, risking their standing in the current society, and risking their general wellbeing in order to fight for a change of the system. This demand for personal freedom quickly grows into a fight for overall change in government action and societal tendencies. Students are trained to question authority, they are taught the ideals of freedom and intellect, and it is this enlightenment that makes them such a powerful and vocal catalyst for changes in society.

(a video of the highway protest can be seen here. Ignore the silly music, please)

Is the world 50 years behind in activism?

When researching or studying any movement of student activism or protest, it is difficult to not automatically think of the 1960's in America. As an undergraduate historian, I was always very interested in the culture of the 1960's and 1970's and how the youth of that period was one of the most passionate public powers of force that we have seen in our history.

This tumultuous time period always struck home because my mother was actually somewhat a part of it. As a fresh, young face at San Jacinto State my mother got swept into protests and other forms of activism related to women's rights and the end of female oppression. She laughs about her experiences now (including getting teargassed!) but there is still a glimmer of pride in her eye as she talks about the ways in which she and her associates took a stand.

So let's fast forward to now. As more and more youth are taking a stand across the world to end government oppression, I am reminded of those who fought "the man" in 1960's America. It easy to compare the two, to discuss how Egyptian youth put to use the same tactics as their predecessors the freedom fighters. In Yemen and Libya, youth activism has taken a very violent and frightening turn, much in the way it did at Kent State. But where there are easy opportunities for obvious comparison, it is important to realize the importance of setting and time. While American youth appear to be taking activism deeper into the grid of electronic communication and social media, it appears the rest of the world is sticking to powerful methods of physical activism movements.

I find this deviation fascinating, and I look forward to researching more on how this difference has occurred and where it appears to be taking our youth in upcoming decades.

Student Led Revolts

Let me preface this entry with some quick background information. My fiance is Libyan and his father's family was essentially forced from their country once Gaddafi took power. Needless to say, this is a very exciting time for my new family and it is this personal connection to the liberation of the people of Libya that has caused within me a diligent interest in the civil unrest occurring across North Africa and the Middle East. Interestingly, I have found many connections between what is happening in Libya/Egypt/Tunisia/Etc. and the potential of our own American youth. 

Firstly, it was very interesting to read the essays of UT students with ties to Egypt (found here). One student, Jordan, was in Alexandria at the time the revolution began. I met Jordan when I first moved to Austin during Ramadan in 2009, and I was instantly struck by her interest and passion for Egypt and middle-eastern culture. Reading her account, it struck me how subtle of a revolution it was. People were in the streets, and somehow this action went from peaceful protesting to a non-violent revolution. In Libya and Tunisia, however, things were a bit different. 

In Tunisia, the revolution is literally being led by students. In this article, there are accounts of the many ways in which young students are going into the streets and demanding the democracy they have been educated on partially through their schooling but mostly through their experience. What is so interesting with this youth revolution led by educated masses is that they are not only calling for a change, but they are suggesting what will be done next. This instantly made me think of the American civil rights movement, where the mass of students involved were demanding a change to the system but, as far as I have studied, did not make demands for what would happen once that change was accomplished. Because of this involvement and awareness factor, I think it is interesting to observe the strength and legitimacy of youth movements.

You can see this power is threatening to those being challenged across the board. In Libya, Gaddafi has famously been accusing the youth in revolt of being high on hallucinatory drugs and drunk on alcohol. As the revolution spreads, he continues to try and crush the reputation of the youth, something that can at times be easily accomplished. But we can see that these students are resilient and passionate about their involvement. In Yemen, the students who are leading the revolution feel it has been invaded by the leaders who are suddenly taking part in what they call "their" movement. (Source: this article) 

A common theme throughout these youth revolutions that ties into our class topics in an interesting way is the disparity in status of those revolting vs. those resisting the call to abandon their leaders. Across communities, while the average youth have been in the street, the wealthier citizens and families have been in hiding, hesitant to fight against the community that allows their power. I feel like this is very indicative of our current culture of education communities. We talked last week about how schools will possibly be shut down, and how many of those involved in the political spectrum have this attitude of "well, it's very necessary, as long as it's not my schools"! I feel like this attitude only serves to further distance the student population from previous generations, something that occurs cyclically, but something that can inspire revolution nonetheless. 

It will be interesting to see not only what results in form of government stability in the Middle East and North African, but also how those dramatic results of student uprising will inspire the youth of America.