The sociology of childhood / William A. Corsaro, Indiana University, Bloomington.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Corsaro, William A., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Children.

Local Subjects:

Children.

Physical Description:

xvii, 482 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

Fifth edition.

Place of Publication:

Thousand Oaks, California : SAGE Publications, Inc., [2018]

Summary:

New to this Edition, The new edition has been thoroughly updated on topics such as the ethics of studying children, children's everyday lives, peer culture, symbolic and material culture, aggression and bullying, electronic media, racial and ethnic diversity, and possible impacts of the 2016 election. Three new breakout sections have been added: Children's Resilience in Illness, Abuse, Disasters, and Wars, Children, the Environment and Sustainability, Collective Identity, Intergenerational Relations, and Civic Society, The latest data for a wide range of social indicators has been incorporated, including; family leave, childcare, early education, divorce and child abuse, poverty in industrial and developing societies, teen pregnancy and non-marital births in a comparative perspective, and violence against children. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part 1 The Sociological Study of Childhood 1

1 Social Theories of Childhood 5

Sociology's Rediscovery of Childhood 5

Traditional Theories: Socialization 7

The Deterministic Model: Society Appropriates the Child 7

The Constructivist Model: The Child Appropriates Society 9

Interpretive Reproduction: Children Collectively Participate in Society 18

Language and Cultural Routines 19

From Individual Progression to Collective Reproductions: The Reproductive Nature of Children's Evolving Membership in Their Culture 23

The Orb Web Model 24

Children's Two Cultures 26

Summary 27

2 The Structure of Childhood and Children's Interpretive Reproductions 29

Assumptions of the Structural Perspective 29

Childhood as a Structural Form 30

Effects of Societal Forces on Childhood 30

Children's Activities and Contributions to Society 33

Childhood, Children's Activities, and Interpretive Reproduction in Peer Culture 43

Three Kinds of Collective Action 44

Summary 45

3 Studying Children and Childhood 47

Macrolevel Methods 48

Demographic Studies 48

Large-Scale Surveys 49

Historical Methods 51

Microlevel Methods 52

Individual and Group Interviews 52

Ethnography and Sociolinguistic Analysis 53

Nontraditional Methods in Studying Children 58

Ethical Issues in Researching Children's Lives 62

Summary 63

Part 2 Children, Childhood, and Families in Historical and Cultural Context 65

4 Historical Views of Childhood and Children 67

Philippe Ariès's Centuries of Childhood 68

The Debate Regarding Grand-Stage Theories of the Family and Childhood 70

The New History of Childhood 73

Barbara Hanawalt's Growing Up in Medieval London 75

Slave Children in the Pre-Civil War South 78

American Pioneer and Immigrant Children at the Turn of the 20th Century 81

Summary 88

5 Social Change, Families, and Children 91

Examining Changes in Families From the Children's Perspective 91

Children's Everyday Lives in Families 92

Studies of Families in Western Societies 93

Studies of Families in Non-Western Societies 100

The Effects of Recent Socioeconomic Changes on Families, Children, and Childhood in Western Societies 103

The Rapid Decline of Two-Parent Farm Families and Rise of Father Worker-Mother Homemaker Families 104

The Decline in Family Size 105

The Rise in Mothers' Labor Force Participation 106

The Rise in Single-Parent Families 110

Changing Perspectives of the American Family 111

Racial and Ethnic Diversity of the Population of Children and Youth 113

The Lives of Immigrant Children 114

The Effects of Recent Socioeconomic Changes on Children and Childhood in Developing Societies 119

Summary 121

Part 3 Children's Cultures 125

6 Children's Peer Cultures and Interpretive Reproduction 127

Examining Peer Culture From Children's Perspective 127

Central Importance of Peer Culture in Interpretive Reproduction 128

Parental Versus Peer Effects on Children's Development 129

Children's Transition to Initial Peer Cultures 129

Symbolic Aspects of Children's Cultures 133

The Media 133

Literature and Fairy Tales 137

Mythical Figures and Legends 139

Material Aspects of Children's Cultures 145

Historical Studies of Children's Material Culture 147

Marketing Studies of Children's Material Culture 149

Children, Parents, and Consumer Culture 151

Summary 154

7 Sharing and Control in Initial Peer Cultures 157

Central Themes in Children's Initial Peer Cultures 158

Friendship, Sharing, and Social Participation 159

Play Routines Among Toddlers 160

The Protection of Interactive Space and Children's Early Friendships 164

Language, Sharing Routines, and Rituals 169

Autonomy and Control in Peer Culture 174

Sociodramatic Role-Play 174

Challenging Adult Authority 182

Confronting Confusions, Fears, and Conflicts in Fantasy Play 186

Summary 194

8 Conflict and Differentiation in the Initial Peer Culture 197

Conflict and Peer Relations 197

Discussion, Debate, and Peace in Italian Preschools 198

Oppositional Talk in a Head Start Center 202

Conflict and Friendship in an American Upper-Middle-Class Preschool 205

The Contextual Nature of Conflict and Community 207

Social Differentiation in Initial Peer Cultures 207

Gender Differentiation 208

Race and Race Differentiation 215

Status Differentiation 216

Summary 224

9 Preadolescent Peer Cultures 225

Peer Cultures in Preadolescence 226

Friendship Processes in Preadolescent Peer Cultures 226

Social Participation and Friendships 227

Social Differentiation and Friendships 228

Social Differentiation, Friendships, Gender, Race, and Ethnicity 229

Autonomy and Identity in Preadolescent Peer Cultures 235

Verbal Routines, Games, and Heterosexual Relations 236

Disputes, Conflict, Friendships, and Gender 244

Verbal Disputes and Conflict in Peer Relations 246

Borderwork in Cross-Gender Relations 250

Challenging Adult Authority and Norms 254

Generation M: Electronic Media in the Lives of Preadolescents and Adolescents 255

Patterns in Media Use 255

Effects and Process of Media Use in the Lives of Preadolescents and Adolescents 260

Summary 271

Part 4 Children, Social Problems, and the Future of Childhood 275

10 Children, Social Problems, and the Family 279

Changing Family Structures and Children's Lives 279

Work, Families, and Childhood 280

Working Mothers and Young Children 280

Social Policy Regarding Maternity and Family Leave 282

Social Policy Regarding Child Care and Early Childhood Education 284

Divorce and Its Effects on Children 286

Patterns in Divorce and Economic Consequences for Women and Children 287

Social and Psychological Effects of Divorce on Children 291

Child Abuse in the Family 297

Summary 303

11 Children, Social Problems, and Society 305

Poverty and the Quality of Children's Lives 305

Problems and Progress in Developing Countries 305

Poverty and Child Labor in Developing Countries 312

Child Poverty in Industrialized Countries 315

Variations in Child Poverty and Quality of Life in Industrialized Countries 320

The Human Faces of Poverty: The Story of Nicholas 324

Teen Pregnancy and Nonmarital Births 327

Trends in Teen Nonmarital Births 328

Possible Causes of Trends in Teen Nonmarital Births 331

Consequences for Teen Parents and Their Children 338

Violence, Victimization, and the Loss of Childhood 340

The Profound and Inspiring Resilience of Children and Youth in Highly Challenging Life Circumstances 352

Summary 354

12 The Future of Childhood 357

The Major Challenges 360

Confronting Child Poverty in the United States 360

Combating Child Poverty in Developing Countries 367

Some More Modest Proposals to Enrich Children's Lives 369

Enhancing the Lives of Families and Children 369

Supporting Families and Children at Risk 386

Acting Right Now 392

Conclusion 393.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781506339900

1506339905

OCLC:

982043876