Growing Up Degrassi
Television, Identity and Youth Cultures
edited by Michele Byers

This is the first collection of its kind to explore one of the most widely recognized series in Canadian television history. Sixteen essays bring together scholars and fans of Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High and Degrassi: The Next Generation  to examine the pivotal role the series has had in shaping Canadian youth identity over the past twenty-five years. In the first two sections, "Degrassi and Youth Cultures" and "Building Identity on Degrassi," contributors look into topics ranging from how technology and media have shaped character identity and viewer devotion, to the critical contemporary issues of the AIDS crisis among young adults. The third section, "Web Sites, Fan Clubs & Reminiscences," is a celebration of Degrassi fandom. In her Afterword, Linda Schuyler comments on the twenty-five years it has taken to build the remarkable phenomenon called Degrassi and why it deserves to be both celebrated and critiqued for its unique place in television and youth cultures.

Contributors: Michele Byers, Rebecca Haines, Kylo-Patrick Hart, Mark Janson, Sherri Jean Katz, Jennifer MacLennan, Ryan Robert Mitchell, Ravindra Mohabeer, Tom Panarese, Mark Aaron Polger, Bettina Spencer, Laura Tropp, Brian Jones and Michael Strangelove

About the Editor: Michele Byers is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Saint Mary's University, Halifax.