The authors theorize what we call managerialist subterfuge, drawing on distinct ethnographic studies to examine how adult “partners” leverage the language and strategies of corporate managerialism to undermine youths’ radical visions of change. Critical analysis of patterns in interview and participant observation data across two youth participatory action research projects revealed the ways in which adult interventions functioned to co-opt youths’ activist agendas; following the rationale that youth who are presumed to be in need of adult management are “out of their depth” when it comes to civic matters. The authors assert that managerialist subterfuge functions as a mechanism to further bureaucratize youth activism and absolve state actors of accountability for harm that Black youth and youth of color experience.

作者对不同的人种学研究进行理论化，即所谓的“管理主义诡计”，以研究成年“合作伙伴”如何利用公司管理主义的语言和策略来破坏青年人对变革的根本看法。对两个青年参与式行动研究项目的访谈和参与者观察数据的模式进行的批判性分析揭示了成人干预如何发挥作用，以选择青年的活动家议程；遵循这样的基本原理：在公民事务方面，被认为需要成人管理的青年“超出了他们的深度”。作者断言，管理主义的诡计可作为一种机制，使青年激进主义进一步官僚化，并免除国家行为者对黑人青年和有色人种青年所遭受伤害的责任。