Political Participation among young people in New Orleans, USA

Abstract

Young people in the United States have been often described as apathetic towards politics, and as unengaged politically. Making use of Bourdieu’s Theory of Fields, Psychology and Political Science explanations about political participation, this thesis shows how young generations in New Orleans are in fact taking part in the political process, by voting, writing to their representatives, helping in the political campaigns, signing petitions, and making use of new media to make their opinions heard. Contesting the theories that link a strong political affiliation with political participation, I demonstrate that the latter depends much more on the individual habitus and the different forms of capital the person possesses than on an identification with a political party.