The Age of Identity: Who Do Our Kids Think They Are . . . and How Do We Help Them Belong?

There’s more to all of us than what meets the eye

A perfect storm is upon us and educators are in the middle of it. Identity issues often incite and divide us, but they are actually our way out of the storm. No one should be oppressed or have to hide who they are, and young people need to be prepared for a future where they can learn to live together and help others belong.

In their beautifully written book, Dennis Shirley and Andy Hargreaves brilliantly show how we can and must engage with young people’s identities in their fullness and complexity. Rooted in classical and contemporary theories of identity, extensive research, and in sheer common sense, their book takes us from bitterness to belonging and includes:

• Examples of how schools seek to address identity and belonging
• Strategies to deal with the raging identity controversies in our schools and societies
• Charts and graphics to help build inclusive professional communities
• Constant invitations to readers to apply ideas to their own work

Dennis Shirley is Gabelli Faculty Fellow and Professor of Formative Education at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. He has led and advised many educational change initiatives. He was the principal investigator of the Massachusetts Coalition for Teacher Quality and Student Achievement, a federally funded improvement network that united 18 urban schools, 7 higher education institutions, and 16 community-based organizations. He has conducted in-depth studies on school innovations in England, Germany, Canada, and South Korea. Dennis has been a visiting professor at Harvard University in the United States, at Venice International University in Italy, at the National Institute of Education in Singapore, at the University of Barcelona in Spain, and the University of Stavanger in Norway. He is a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, Germany. Dennis holds a doctorate in education from Harvard University.

Andy Hargreaves is a research professor at Boston College and a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa. He is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Education. He is past president of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement, adviser in education to the first minister of Scotland, and former adviser to the premier of Ontario. Andy is cofounder and president of the ARC Education Project: a group of nations committed to humanistic goals in education. Andy’s more than 30 books have attracted 8 Outstanding Writing Awards. He has been honored for services to public education and educational research in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Andy is ranked by Education Week among the top 20 scholars with most influence on U.S. education policy debate. In 2015, Boston College gave him its Excellence in Teaching With Technology Award. Andy’s most recent book is Leadership From the Middle: The Beating Heart of Educational Transformation.

The Age of Identity is the fifth book that Dennis and Andy have written together.