15082
Proseminar
Generations and Politics
Philippe Joly
Comments
In both media discourse and the academic literature, “generations” are frequently invoked to explain contemporary political phenomena. But what exactly constitutes a generation? How can we study it empirically? And what are its political manifestations? These are the central questions of this seminar. We will begin by contrasting the various conceptualizations of generations. Next, we will examine the theoretical approaches that seek to explain how citizens acquire stable political identities, values, and behavior. The discussion will focus on theories of political socialization—particularly the notion of the “impressionable years”—while also considering alternative explanations such as the family transmission of social status and genetic influences. Methodologically, we will address the specific challenges of generational research, most notably the age-period-cohort (APC) identification problem and the strategies that scholars use to overcome it. In the final part of the seminar, we will examine current debates surrounding the younger generation: its attitudes and values, its forms of political participation, and its representation in legislatures. The course will be organized around close readings of influential texts and the analysis of up-to-date empirical data. close
13 Class schedule
Additional appointments
Mon, 2026-07-13 14:00 - 16:00Regular appointments
Thu, 2026-04-16 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-04-23 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-04-30 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-05-07 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-05-21 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-05-28 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-06-04 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-06-11 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-06-18 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-06-25 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-07-02 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-07-09 12:00 - 14:00
Thu, 2026-07-16 12:00 - 14:00