Örebro Studies in Political Science 34 I ÖREBRO 2014
ÖREBRO STUDIES IN POLITICAL SCIENCE 34 2014VIK
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viktor dahl (b. 1979) started his doctoral studies in the field of Political Science at Örebro University in 2009. He is also a member of Youth & Society (YeS), a research unit studying young people’s social and political development. This is his doctoral dissertation.
Illegal political activity has always been part of a democra-tic society. Despite this, not much is known about young people’s involvement in these political activities. In Sweden, to embrace these political means is far less common than in many other Western democracies. But, that does not make these political initiatives less interesting, quite the contrary.
This dissertation provides additional understanding of adolescents involved in illegal political activity. The overarching questions of who, why, and what
the roles are for parents and peers, guide the four articles comprising this
dissertation. Mostly boys use illegal means as political influence attempts. Results also show that these adolescents are interested in politics, motivated, and efficacious. Almost everyone involved in illegal political activity also try to exert political influence using legal means. However, the ultimate divider is that, compared with legally oriented adolescents, these activists are more ready to accept violent political means. In addition, this style of involvement is inherently connected to challenges of authority. Irrespective of the context – political, educational, and parental – involvement in illegal political activities co-occur with perceptions of a non-legitimate authority. Finally, noted should also be that involvement in these political activities is likely also the result of influences from peers. Altogether, although comparatively few young people use illegal means to try to influence politics, there is not only one answer to why they are involved in these tactics. For this reason, this dissertation con-tributes to understanding of adolescents involved in illegal political activities by employing a broader perspective capturing both the perceptions of the adolescents themselves and also their social surroundings.
issn 1650-1632 isbn 978-91-7529-004-1
