Although social studies educators aim to empower young people to become active citizens of a democratic society, there has been very little research in recent years on young people’s understanding of citizenship. In this study, we analyzed 14 inner city African American middle school students’ concepts of citizenship. In addition to characterizing citizenship as adherence to the law and respect for others, the students defined it in terms of individual and community empowerment. Like earlier studies, we found that the students exhibited high degrees of political cynicism and low levels of political participation. Nonetheless, most of the students believed that they could contribute positively to their communities, despite the persistence of racism in economic, political and legal realms. Given students’ views, we conclude with suggestions for implementing social studies pedagogies which build upon the students’ concepts of citizenship.
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