Childhood and society : an introduction to the sociology of childhood / Michael Wyness.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wyness, Michael G.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Children.

Children--Social conditions.

Physical Description:

xi, 268 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

Summary:

Children have become an increasingly important focus for sociological analysis in recent years, generating a wealth of empirical studies and theoretical developments. Childhood and Society makes a significant contribution to this growing field. It offers an up-to-date and accessible introduction to key theories, themes and debates within the sociology of childhood.

This inspiring new book explores a range of sociological approaches to researching the fascinating lives and social worlds of children, and the phenomenon of childhood. In doing so, it reviews competing theoretical positions on childhood and examines research that assumes children are competent social actors. Throughout the book the tension between childhood as a period of dependence and powerlessness is discussed, alongside sociological literature emphasising the diversity of children's lives as social agents.

Childhood and Society explores important and controversial issues relating to childhood, such as poverty, abuse and rights. Incorporating historical, psychological and policy material, it is a key text for students of sociology as well as other associated fields of study, such as education, social policy and psychology.

Contents:

Part 1 Childhood and Theory 5

1 The Social Meaning of Childhood 7

The 'Playing-Child' Construction 8

The Historical Development of Modern Childhood 11

Radical Social Constructionism 17

Limits to Social Constructionism 20

Archard's Synthesis 23

2 Childhood and Social Structure 27

Positioning Children and Childhood 28

Feminism and Childhood 36

Marxism and Childhood 40

Children's Needs and Interests 45

3 Children and Childhood in Late Modernity 50

Childhood and Individualisation 51

Children and the Family in Late Modernity 56

The Global Child 61

Individualisation and New Inequalities 66

Globalism: Understanding Inequality 69

Part 2 Childhood as a Social Problem 73

4 Childhood in Crisis: Social Disorder and Reconstruction 75

The Problem of 'Youth' 76

Street Children 78

Children and Play: Lost on the Net 81

Reconstituting Childhood 84

Case Study 1 Child Soldiers 86

Case Study 2 Child Carers 89

5 Children, Family and the State: Policing Childhood 95

The Privatisation of Childhood 96

Modern Protectionist Strategies: The Problem of Child Abuse 98

Child Protection and the Criminal Justice System 102

Childhood, Agency and the State 106

Part 3 Regulating Children and Childhood 115

6 Theories of Growing Up: Developmentalism and Socialisation Theory 117

The Dominant Framework 118

Developmentalism 122

The Story of Socialisation 126

Moving outside the Frame 132

7 Schooling Childhood 141

Mass Schooling and the Production of Childhood 142

Locating Children 144

Reforming Schooling, Reforming Childhood? 150

Deschooling Childhood: Truancy 154

Deschooling Childhood - Home Schooling 155

Part 4 Children as Social Agents 163

8 Children's Social Worlds: Culture, Play and Technology 165

Children's Cultures and the 'Dominant Frame' 166

The Importance of the Social 167

Children, New Technologies and Social Relations 175

Children, Technology and Agency 177

Technology, Consumerism and Social Exclusion 181

9 Researching Children and Childhood: Methods, Ethics and Politics 185

Researching Children's Social Worlds: Methodological Issues 186

Ethical Considerations 194

Children as Researchers 199

10 Children: Their Rights and Politics 206

Children's Rights 207

Children and Politics 215

Case Studies of Political Participation 221

Childhood and Ambiguity 231

Children's Agency 236.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 238-253) and index.

ISBN:

0333946480

0333946499

OCLC:

63179079

Publisher Number:

9780333946480

9780333946497