Children’s categorizations of politics
Type de matériel :
76
In order to investigate the opinion-making process, this article studies the categories that children use for describing and judging the specialized political universe. It shows that categorizations enable children both to understand and judge the political universe: Information and judgments are inseparable. This observation implies that children make judgments about politics as an indisputable truth, just as if it was factual information. The article also shows that the categories that children use in order to understand and judge the political universe depend on their political competence, which varies according to their social background. Children’s political opinions can rely on very simple categories (especially the opposition between “good” and “bad” people), which are sometimes accompanied by arguments (in particular the “racism” category). Some of the most competent children also use the right-left opposition, which is both a sign of and a tool for a sophisticated understanding of the political world. The categories that children use to understand politics are therefore unequal, because they give them unequal ability to justify and assert their opinions.
Réseaux sociaux