Liberation psychology and urban civic education

This article uses theories of liberation psychology to analyse a youth civic engagement project enacted in a US urban school. Drawing on classroom observations and student and teacher interviews, the analysis illustrates the possibility of fostering students’ character development – in this case, what the teacher and students called ‘positivity’ – while supporting their broader social understandings and commitment to a collective good. The project’s intertwined focus on character and social structures troubles the potential tensions between these areas. The article raises conversations about the enacted civic curriculum as well as about the value of using theories of liberation psychology to inform and analyse such curriculum.