Through ethnographic fieldwork in high schools, both public and private, Fournier offers rich details about how Ukraine's young people are positioning themselves vis-a-vis one another, their elders, authorities, and the state. Hers is a sympathetic view that is oftentimes very funny, catching young people as they really are, including their antics inside and outside the classroom. -Melissa Caldwell, University of ... Read moreCalifornia, Santa Cruz Fournier's greatest strength is her ability to look beyond the stereotypical model of democracy in the West and the post-Soviet space to illustrate and account for the views and actions of her research participants. . . . She also is able to show how not only democratic practices but also their alternatives are repertoires that are enacted or performed by students in the school, and she traces how these repertoires circulate to students and the school context. -Anthropology & Education Quarterly The topic is timely and relevant. Fournier counters the prevailing argument voiced by political scientists, the media, and ideologues that Ukraine is in 'transition' from one kind of political system to another by showing how-at least in students' ideations and expressions-Ukraine's younger generation embrace many different positions simultaneously. -Amy Stambach, University of Wisconsin-Madison A remarkable achievement. Fournier demonstrates superb command of theoretical literature, while telling a compelling story, supported by direct observation. . . . The current conflict in Ukraine has often been described as a battle between the West and Russia, behind which the ghost of the Soviet Union looms large. It cannot be so reduced. Fournier's insistence on locally derived, dynamic notions of citizenship and her detailed account of the Ukrainians' complex relationship with corruption testify to the homegrown roots of the dilemma that the Ukrainians now face. -European Education Show Less