Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Advanced Research in Education
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Extremist Ideologies: Youth and Schools
Lorenzo Cherubini, Ed.D.
ABSTRACT:
According to a House of Commons Report (2022) on public safety, hate motivated ideologies are spreading consistently across Canada. Moreover, the Report cites youth among those particularly vulnerable to right-wing ideologies thereby complementing the literature that suggests that youth and radical right-wing ideologies are positioned at a precarious intersection. The presentation will consider the emerging extreme right -wing online presence across mainstream social media as especially conducive to youth that typically frequent these spaces. The virtual sites are characteristic of a cyberculture that consists of a hateful discourse that celebrates ethnonationalist values, beliefs, and traditions. Research points to the fact that the dialogue, often hateful and antagonistic, appeals to youth that are attracted by the radical views. Since youth spend a significant amount of time in schools, the presentation will discuss how schools too are both situated and implicated in this relationship. The presentation will, then, share the in-progress research that investigates the extent to which schools and school communities can influence youth attitudes toward extremist ideologies.
keywords: education; right-wing youth extremists