Let's Talk Narratives, Privilege and Power
My contribution to ACEVO ’s 30th birthday, 30 things to think about at #acevo30 Published originally at http://30thingstothinkabout.org/voices/ Narratives For the next few decades, the world will continue to be constructed around narratives. Who shapes the narratives? And whose voice is heard? Take young people as an example. Last year I researched youth radicalisation , carrying out a comparative study between Al-Shabaab’s recruitment in Kenya and Daesh’s recruitment in Tunisia. My most important finding was that the victimhood narrative of marginalised youth is contributing to youth radicalisation. The victimisation narrative is used by extremist groups to recruit and sustain support. Many young people have internalised the idea that they are marginalised and are perceived to be heroic when they join these violent groups. We need to start asking ourselves, are we contributing to narratives of empowerment or disempowerment? Do we offer counter-narratives, or cr