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Each of the essays in this collection considers what lies beyond the limiting discourses of childhood innocence. Instead of focusing on how children “grow up,” as has been the focus of developmental science for over a century, we ask what it might mean for discourses of childhood to finally “grow out” of childhood innocence? The authors featured in this volume explore this question through critical approaches that actively refuse the limits of normative and normalizing conceptions of the child by surfacing and centering complex, multiplicitous configurations of childhood. Together, these perspectives challenge existing discourses and social practices to reveal how power operates in and through the child and its uses.

This book locates internally focused, critical perspectives regarding the social, political, emotional, and mental growth of children. Through the radical openness afforded by psychoanalytic and related frameworks, this volume illuminates, promotes, and helps situate subjectivities that are often blotted out for both the child and society. The overall emphasis is on motifs of lostness and foundness, in terms of the geographies of the psycho-social, and how such motifs govern and regulate what have come to count as the normative indexes of childhood as well as how they exclude other real childhoods.

Global Childhoods in International Perspective gathers a wide spectrum of contributors from Europe, the U.S., South Asia, South Africa and Latin America, who, attuned with present dilemmas in the area of childhood studies, discuss some key theoretical and empirical aspects of child scholarship, such as identity, child wellbeing, child mobility and migration, intergenerational relationships and child abuse. Through these expert contributions, the book explores the many ways in which the relationship between universality and particularities of childhood plays an important role in describing global childhoods. The book highlights childhood as a cross-cutting issue in global sociology with chapters on globalization and schooling in Burkina Faso, child abuse and neglect in India, identity and integration among children of African immigrants in France, social class mobility of Filipino migrant children in Italy and France, and an investigation into Kyrgyz childhoods. Ideal reading for researchers, practitioners and students interested in both childhood studies and the other areas including community research, sociology of education, social stratification, and the sociology of migration.

Recognising multiple cultural, ethical and geographical influences which impact on the development of a child's identity, this insightful text explores the role of early childhood practitioners and settings in nurturing and navigating the child's sense of being and belonging.Multiple Early Childhood Identies confronts the diverse factors which influence early identity-formation to emphasise the child's understanding of self, outsiders'projections and the messages communicated by educators, family members and the wider community as critical to a child's identity and wellbeing. Written to provoke group discussion and extend thinking, this text also provides opportunities for international comparison, points for reflection and editorial provocations and will help students engage critically with the concept of identity-formation and influencing factors. Chapters are divided into four key sections which reflect major influences on practice and pedagogy: Being alongside children Those who educate Embedding families and communities Working with systems Offering in-depth discussion of the diverse perspectives, experiences and practices which impact on the formation of the child's identity, this text will enhance understanding, support self-directed learning and provoke and transform thinking at both graduate and postgraduate levels, particularly in the field of early childhood education and care, for students, educators, integrated service providers and policy makers.

This book promotes the potential for children to advocate for themselves. Providing five simple steps, it demonstrates how to create an environment in which the authentic voice and opinions of the child are heard and to build platforms to help amplify that voice.

By approaching the concept of community through the lens of early childhood, this valuable book acknowledges the role that diverse and multiple communities play in supporting a child's early development, and explores how their value can be harnessed in our ever-evolving and fast-changing world.Young Children and Their Communities delves deeper into the many layers of communities to which children belong. With a focus on key theoretical perspectives, such as social empathy and the pedagogy of friendships, the book seeks to expand readers'understanding of the concept of community by considering a range of both established and emerging communities, including peer groups, digital communities, the extended family and intergenerational learning. Chapters explore how various communities contribute to and enhance young children's lives, and examine how children can in turn enrich the communities they are part of. Illustrative vignettes and points for reflection are included throughout, along with helpful research summaries and links to current policy.Reiterating the importance of communities and illustrating the rich opportunities they offer to children, Young Children and Their Communities will inform students'and early years practitioners'practice as they confront new challenges and opportunities in fields of early childhood education, social work and sociology.

What does it mean to think of children as social subjects and how should we go about studying childhood in society? Childhood is a key site where children come to understand themselves as particular kinds of people, not only as individuals but also as members of social and cultural groups. This compelling and accessible book explores how immature humans enter into political, economic, social and cultural life. Integrating key theories from a range of disciplines, Karen Wells provides a set of analytical tools to explore how culture, society, politics and economics shape childhood and children's lives. She explains how childhood is not only culturally shaped, but also formed at the intersection of politics and economics. At this intersection between governing practices and the affordances of children's bodies, young subjects are made. Childhood Studies will be essential reading for students and scholars in childhood and youth studies and related disciplines, and for anyone who wants to understand the impacts of social inequality on children and what it means to be a child in the contemporary world.

Human beings have the most immature newborn and longest maturational schedule of any animal. Only 25% of the adult brain size is developed at full-term birth, and most of the brain's size and volume is co-constructed by caregivers in the first years of life. As a result, early life experience has long-term effects on physiological and psychological wellbeing. Contexts for Young Child Flourishing uses an evolutionary systems framing to address the conditions and contexts for child development and thriving. Contributors focus on flourishing-optimizing individual (physiological, psychological, emotional) and communal (social, community) functioning. Converging events make this a key time to reconsider the needs of children and their optimal development in light of increasing understanding of human evolution, the early dynamism of development, and how these influence developmental trajectories. There is a great deal of misunderstanding both among researchers and the general public about what human beings need for optimal development. As a result, human nature unnecessarily can be misshaped by policies, practices, and beliefs that don't take into account evolved needs. Empirical studies today are better able to document and map the long-term effects of early deficits or early assets, mostly in animal models but also through longitudinal studies. An interdisciplinary set of scholars considers child flourishing in regards to issues of development, childhood experience, and wellbeing. Scholars from neuroscience, anthropology, and clinical and developmental studies examine the buffering effects of optimal caregiving practices and shed light on the need for new databases, new policies, and altered childcare practices.

Historically, children were often understood in relation to their development towards adulthood, but the'new paradigm'of childhood studies has since shown how they should be taken more seriously as active participants in their own lives. Studying childhood is not just a question of research on children, but increasingly a practice of research with them. With this'new paradigm'having now come of age, Sally McNamee offers a comprehensive overview of the current state of childhood studies and its history. Taking a thematic approach, she looks at how issues such as rights and citizenship, the state, the family, school, work, leisure, health and globalisation shape and are shaped by children.The Social Study of Childhood is an accessible introduction for students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds such as childhood studies, sociology, psychology, social work and education. With reflection points for discussion and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter, it is an engaging and stimulating account of how and why children's voices deserve to be heard in today's world.

This book is a detailed study of children's everyday practices in a small, deprived neighbourhood of post-socialist Bratislava, called Kopčany. It provides a novel empirical insight on what it is like to be growing up after 25 years of post-socialist transformations and questions the formation of children's agency and the multitude of resources it comes from. What happens if we accept children's practices as cornerstones of communities? What is uncovered if we examine adults'co-presence with children in everyday community spaces? With a background in youth work, the author writes from the unique position of being able to develop in-depth insights into both children's life-worlds, and practitioners'priorities and needs.

The new updated edition of Children, Youth and Development explores the varied ways in which global processes in the form of development policies, economic and cultural globalisation, and international agreements interact with more locally specific practices to shape the lives of young people living in the poorer regions of the world. It examines these processes, and the effects they have on young people's lives, in relation to developing theoretical approaches to the study of children and youth. This landmark title brings together the stock of knowledge and approaches to understanding young people's lives in the context of development and globalization in the majority world for the first time. It introduces different theoretical approaches to the study of young people, and explores the ways in which these, along with predominantly Western conceptions of childhood and youth, have influenced how majority world children have been viewed and treated by international agencies. Contexts of globalisation and growing international inequality are explored, alongside more immediate contexts such as family and peer relationships. Chapters are devoted to groups of children deemed to be in need of protection and to debates concerning children's rights and their participation in development projects. Young people's health and education are considered, as is their involvement in work of various kinds, and the impacts of environmental change and hazards (including climate change). The book introduces material and concepts to readers in a very accessible way and within each chapter employs features such as boxed case studies, summaries of key ideas, discussion questions and guides to further resources. This edition has been updated to take account of significant changes in the contexts in which poor children grow up, notably the financial crisis and changing development policy environment, as well as recent theoretical developments. It is aimed at students on higher level undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as researchers who are unfamiliar with this area of research and practitioners in organisations working to ameliorate the lives of children in majority world countries.

The second edition of this compelling and popular book offers a unique global perspective on children's lives throughout the world. It shows how the notion of childhood is being radically re-shaped, in part as a consequence of globalization. Taking an engaging historical and comparative approach, the book explores social issues such as how children are constituted as raced, classed and gendered subjects; how children's involvement in war is connected to the globalization of capitalism and organized crime; and how school and work operate as sites for the governing of childhood. The book discusses wide-ranging topics including children's rights, the family, children and war, child labour and young people's activism around the globe. In addition to updated literature throughout, the revised edition includes new chapters on migration and trafficking, and the role of play. The book will continue to be of great value to students and scholars in the fields of sociology, geography, social policy and development studies. It will also be a valuable companion to practitioners of international development and social work, as well as to anyone interested in childhood in the contemporary world.

Representing research from east, central, west, and southern Africa, Engaging Children and Youth in Africa provides a well-balanced analysis of on-the-ground data with methodological and phenomenological issues that abound in much of research in Africa today. With an introduction that charts out some of the most critical approaches in African-centred research on children and youth, contributors to this volume give the reader a glimpse of the product of engaged research that places children and youth at the centre of analysis. The authors follow recent studies that have insisted on seeing African childhood and youth beyond constraining Western notions of vulnerability or innocence, to capture the ways in which recent advances in technology, the intensification of global processes, and continued weakening of the nation-state have not only contributed to new ways of being children and youth but how they have also provided a new lens through which to study social change.

Outlining sociology's distinctive contribution to childhood studies and our understanding of contemporary children and childhood, The Sociology of Children, Childhood and Generation provides a thought provoking and comprehensive account of the connections between the macro worlds of childhood and the micro worlds of children's everyday lives. Examining children's involvement in areas such as the labour market, family life, education, play and leisure, the book provides an effective balance between understanding childhood as a structural phenomenon, and recognising children as meaning makers actively involved in constructing, co-constructing and reconstructing their everyday lives. Through the concept of ′generagency′ Madeleine Leonard offers a model for examining and illuminating how structure and agency are activated within interdependent relationships influenced by generational positioning. This framework provides a conceptual tool for thinking about the continuities, challenges and changes that impact on how childhood is lived and experienced.

This collection is an engaging exploration of how Bourdieu's key concepts - field, habitus and capital - help us re-think the status of childhood. The authors are committed to improving the social status and well-being of childhood in social, economic and political worlds that too often fail to accord children respect for their human rights.

Safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children is a statutory duty for all nurses and midwives. This book helps equip student nurses and midwives with the confidence, knowledge and skills needed for working with families to support and protect children. It covers the full spectrum of safeguarding work, from professional issues such as boundaries and confidentiality through to attachment and communication. Key features: -A clear explanation of the policy and key theories informing safeguarding work. -Consideration of the common challenges you are likely to face, such as vulnerability in pregnancy, domestic violence and parenting capacity. -Reflective activities and case histories which help you to develop and enhance your own practice. The book also considers multi-agency working and includes important coverage on professional issues like boundaries, confidentiality, referral and accountability. Written with clarity and accuracy, the authors have produced an important resource suitable for any nurse or midwife preparing to work with children and families.

Western societies face many challenges. The growing inequality and the diminishing role of the welfare state and the rapid accumulation of the resources of a finite planet at the top 1% have made the world an inhospitable place to many families. Parents are left alone to deal with the big societal problems and reverse their impact on their children's educational achievement and life chances. The'average'working family is sliding down the social ladder with a significant impact on children's learning and wellbeing. We now know that parental involvement with children's learning (although important in its own right) is not the primary mechanism through which poverty translates to underachievement and reduced social mobility. Far more relevant to children's learning and emotional wellbeing is their parents'income and educational qualifications. The mantra of'what parents do matters'is hypocritical considering the strong influence that poverty has on parents and children. We can no longer argue that we live in a classless society, especially as it becomes clear that most governmental reforms are class based and affect poor families disproportionately. In this book, Dimitra Hartas explores parenting and its influence on children's learning and wellbeing while examining the impact of social class amidst policy initiatives to eradicate child poverty in 21st Century Britain.

In the last half century, developmental scientists have become increasingly interested in studying contexts beyond the home environment that contribute to children's growth and development, including physical contexts such as schools and neighborhoods, as well as social contexts such as poverty. During this same period, a number of social trends have significantly impacted children's daily lives, including shifts in gender roles and expectations, the emergence of an early care and education system, and the proliferation of media technology. Societal Contexts of Child Development provides comprehensive literature reviews for six broad contextual influences on children's development that have emerged as key areas of inquiry in contemporary society - gender, child care, culture and ethnicity, poverty, schools and neighborhoods, and media. In the spirit of applied developmental science, this book considers these six contextual domains in a series of two linked chapters written by experts in the interdisciplinary field of developmental science. The first chapter in each section is organized as a review of basic research relevant to a particular context, including a discussion of prominent theoretical and methodological issues. The second chapter in each section then addresses the same context from an applied research perspective, examining and documenting how research has been, can be, or should be used to enhance the everyday lives and developmental outcomes of children and their families through interventions and/or social policies. The book concludes with a chapter specifically dedicated to making connections between research and practice and an epilogue that situates the book's chapters within the field's study of contexts. Societal Contexts of Child Development will appeal to a broad audience of scholars, students, practitioners, and policymakers from the disciplines of psychology, sociology, economics, human development, and public policy.

Die Zeitschrift »Soziologie« ist das offizielle Mitteilungsblatt der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie (DGS). Die Zeitschrift dient dem Informationsaustausch über die Arbeit in den Sektionen und Arbeitsgruppen innerhalb der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie, fördert die Diskussion über die Entwicklung des Fachs und informiert über die Einbindung der deutschen Soziologie in ihren europäischen und weltweiten Kontext.

Will the future be a climate disaster? Will biotechnologies bring huge improvements to lifespan? Predictions vary, but children's status as human embodiments of the future puts them at the centre of attempts to shape the world and the discipline of childhood studies can therefore make a critical and creative contribution to future-making.

The idea of children's agency is central to the growing field of childhood studies. In this book David Oswell argues for new understandings of children's agency. He traces the transformation of children and childhood across the nineteenth, twentieth and early twenty-first centuries and explores the dramatic changes in recent years to children's everyday lives as a consequence of new networked, mobile technologies and new forms of globalisation. The author reviews existing theories of children's agency as well as providing the theoretical tools for thinking of children's agency as spatially, temporally and materially complex. With this in mind, he surveys the main issues in childhood studies, with chapters covering family, schooling, crime, health, consumer culture, work and human rights. This is a comprehensive text intended for students and academic researchers across the humanities and social sciences interested in the study of children and childhood.

'Arranged alphabetically, core ideas about ′Agency′ and ′Development′ through to ′Socialisation′ and ′Youth′ are explained in straightforward language, with a concise introduction to key theoretical debates, as well as up to date references.'- Martin Woodhead, The Open University'A challenging text that is recommended for all levels of the BA in Childhood Studies programme. The short, focussed chapters provide students with a comprehensive overview of a topic which they can then research in further depth.'- Sharron Galley, Centre for Childhood Studies, Stockport College'This book gives a fantastic first look at many key concepts which are new to students in a way that is easily approachable and understandable. A great place to start further studies.'- Kathryn Peckham, Chichester University This book has already proved itself as a market leader in Childhood Studies. All of the strengths of the First Edition have been retained. The book is comprehensive and judged with the needs of students in mind. It is a model of clarity and precision and has been acknowledged as such in reviews and course feedback. The new edition thoroughly revises old entries and adds new ones. The book is the most accessible, relevant student introduction to this expanding, interdisciplinary field. It is an indispensable teaching text and an ideal prompt for researchers.

Childhoods at the Intersection of the Local and the Global examines the imposition of the modern Western notion of childhood, which is now deemed as universal, on other cultures and explores how local communities react to these impositions in various ways such as manipulation, outright rejection and acceptance. The book discusses childhoods in different regions of the world and boasts a range of contributors from several academic disciplines such as Sociology, Social Work, Education, Anthropology, Criminology and Human Rights, who are experts on the regions they discuss. The book argues against the notion of a universal childhood and illustrates that different societies around the world have different notions of childhood. This book is recommended reading for students, scholars and practitioners working with children in the Global South as well as internationally.

Perfect preparation for the world of work - our vibrant core textbook for Level 3 CYPW, published exclusively in partnership with CACHE.We know that working with children is a challenging and responsible job. That's why we have worked in partnership with CACHE, the specialist Child Care awarding body, to produce this textbook for the Level 3 CYPW Diploma. This partnership means you can be sure that you are getting the most expert and up-to-date help and advice.- The CACHE partnership means you can trust the content and know that it covers everything you need for the course.- Full-colour, simple navigation and beautiful photographs - this book is easy and enjoyable to read.- Case Studies help you to connect your work placements to theory.- Assessment Practice, developed with CACHE, helps you achieve your best.

Inspire learning with our colourful textbook for Level 2 CYPW students, published in partnership with CACHE.If you are an Early Years or Child Care student taking the new Level 2 CYPW with CACHE then let this textbook be your constant companion. Written by our best-selling and experienced author, Carolyn Meggitt, it covers everything you need to know in easy-to-read chunks, with lots of photographs and pictures to help along the way.- The CACHE partnership means you can trust the content and know that it covers everything you need for the course- Assessment Practice, developed with CACHE, helps you get the best possible grades- Lots of photos and a friendly writing style means the book is easy to read - Key Terms appear all the way through the book so you can easily understand any new words- Case Studies show you exactly how you can use the knowledge and ideas in real life settings

This volume is comprised of empirical research and theoretical papers within three key areas, namely children's well being, children and youth peer cultures, and the rights of children and youth. These empirical studies include children's voices and experiences from four continents (Asia, Europe, North America and South America) and a range of methodological and theoretical orientations. A clear connection to social policy at a national and international level is made in many of these studies. Topics are wide-ranging and include: Praetorian militarization; school mobility; math and reading achievement gaps; dating and the developmental discourse in a summer camp; and, school and social exclusion for urban young people. Altogether, these studies highlight how structure and culture both limit and enable the life chances of children, how children interpret and construct their social relations and environments, and how children view themselves as well as how others view the rights of children. This volume is a further example of how the'Sociological Studies of Children and Youth'series successfully showcases major strands of current thinking on children and youth in our world today.

What do we mean by wellbeing, and what does it look like as it takes shape in early childhood? What can we do to support the wellbeing of children at home and in settings? This book provides some answers to these complex questions, in a straightforward, accessible way. PART 1: INTRODUCING WELLBEING describes the ′backdrop′ for a new model of wellbeing, outlining research and policy background, and underpinning early childhood themes. PART 2: THE THEORY OF WELLBEING defines wellbeing itself, describing the new model and the mechanism of wellbeing development called companionable learning. PART 3: EVERYDAY WELLBEING contains ideas and examples from homes and settings of ′real-life′ wellbeing. Chapter 6: ′All to play for′ is rich with ideas and examples of'profoundly satisfying'wellbeing play. PART 4: INVESTING IN WELLBEING is about professional development. It covers observation, assessment and planning; the key person approach; ′when things go wrong′; and integrating services across settings and communities. The book ends with the importance of collective wellbeing, arguing that all young children need experiences of individual and collective wellbeing, in their families and their communities. Essential reading for anyone studying early childhood, and for managers and practitioners working with young children and their families, this book is an inspirational guide to developing a framework for wellbeing from birth.

Child development refers to the biological and psychological changes that occur in human beings between birth and the end of adolescence, as the individual progresses from dependency to increasing autonomy. Because these developmental changes may be strongly influenced by genetic factors and events during prenatal life, genetics and prenatal development are usually included as part of the study of child development. The optimal development of children is considered vital to society and so it is important to understand the social, cognitive, emotional, and educational development of children. Consequently, child poverty rates have remained high since the middle of the 1970s. While several trends, including declines in the number of children per family and increases in parental years of schooling work to reduce child poverty rates, several other factors, including slow economic growth, widening economic inequality, and increases in the proportion of children living in mother-only families have had the opposite effect, pushing more children into poverty. Poor children suffer a disproportionate share of deprivation and hardship, among other bad outcomes. Not only do poor children have access to fewer material goods than rich or middle-class children, but they are also more likely to experience poor health and to die during childhood. This new book gathers the latest research from around the globe in these fields of study and focuses on such topics as social development of children with visual impairment, child poverty in rich countries, parenting styles in relation to poverty and the relation between poverty and the psychological disturbances of war-traumatized adolescents.

How is the nature of childhood changing? What challenges do children face as they grow up? This book enriches our understanding of what it means to be a child today. It examines: the impact of new technologies, policy, and early education; poverty, changing family circumstances and living in care; and case studies of childhood in certain African countries, the UK, the US, Australia, and, Western and Eastern Europe. The contributors come from across the globe and each reflects on the nature of childhood from their personal perspective and what they see happening around them. They are Jennifer M. Bowes, Eileen Carmichael, Philomena Donnelly, Eve Gregory, Mary James, Foster Kholowa, Sian Wyn Siencyn, Allison Tatton, Glenda Walsh, and Lynne Williamson and Fatuma Ahmed.

And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ” —Mark, 10:13–14 I began writing this book during a trip to Japan in January 2002. While in the country I started reading anthropologist Ruth Benedict's classic analysis of Japanese society and culture, The Sword and the Chrysanthemum. Written at the close of World War II to help the American government plan for defeating the Japanese war machine and dealing with a defeated nation, Benedict wrote several things that struck home as I began my own work a half century later. For one thing, as she reviewed indigenous Japanese social analyses she cautioned, “They were amazingly frank. Of course they did not present the whole picture. No people does. A Japanese who writes about Japan passes over really crucial things which are as familiar to him and as invisible as the air he breathes. So do Americans when they write about America” (p. 7). That is part of the challenge I faced, to see what is invisible in front of our eyes. The German poet Goethe spoke of this when he wrote: “What is most difficult of all? That which you think is easiest, To see what is before your eyes.

This accessible book provides a wealth of information to help parents, educators and carers better relate to children at this exciting, yet demanding, stage of development. Corinne Aves offers guidance on encouraging children's development and helping them to cope with changing expectations of their behaviour.

In this timely study, high profile researchers contribute to the burgeoning field of the social studies of childhood with original and often surprising perspectives and approaches. They demonstrate that far from being esoteric or negligible, childhood is part and parcel of the social fabric in both poor and affluent countries. With chapters on children's agency in small worlds and childhood's placement in large scale relationships, the book shows not only the variety of childhood(s), but also suggests that much is common in a generational context.

When can contexts and diversity be resources, rather than risks, for children's developmental pathways? Scholars, policy makers, and practitioners increasingly realize that middle childhood matters as a time when children's pathways diverge, as they meet new and overlapping contexts they must navigate on their way to adolescence and adulthood. This volume shines new light on this important transition by tracing how these contexts -- cultural, economic, historical, political, and social -- can support or undermine children's pathways, and how children's own actions and the actions of those around them shape these pathways. With a focus on demographic changes taking place in the U.S., the volume also maps how experiences of diversity, reflecting culture, ethnicity, gender, and social class, matter for children's life contexts and options. Chapters by a team of social scientists in the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Pathways through Middle Childhood present the fruits of ten years of research on these issues with diverse cultural and ethnic communities across the U.S. These include:•a set of models and measures that trace how contexts and diversity evolve and interact over time, with an epilogue that aligns and compares them;•surprising new findings, quantitative and qualitative, with cases showing how children and families shape and are affected by their individual, recreational, institutional, and cultural experiences; and •applications to policy and practice for diverse children and families. The importance of these new models, methods, findings, and applications is the topic of commentaries by distinguished scholars with both U.S. and international perspectives.The book is intended for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers, as well as students in psychology, sociology, and education.

Children constitute a large part of the population of developing countries. Throughout the developing world, experiences of childhood are extremely diverse, both between places and between children in particular places, from the international level through to the different treatment of a boy and a girl within the same household. This informative book considers issues such as education, child labour, street children, child soldiers, refugees, child slaves, the impact of environmental change and hazards on children and the way that children, with the enthusiasm and energy to bring about change, can be enabled to participate in'development'.

In this lively and accessible book, Colin Heywood explores the changing experiences and perceptions of childhood from the early Middle Ages to the beginning of the twentieth century. Heywood examines the different ways in which people have thought about childhood as a stage of life, the relationships of children with their families and peers, and the experiences of young people at work, in school and at the hands of various welfare institutions. The aim is to place the history of children and childhood firmly in its social and cultural context, without losing sight of the many individual experiences that have come down to us in diaries, autobiographies and oral testimonies. Heywood argues that there is a cruel paradox at the heart of childhood in the past. On the one hand, material conditions for children have generally improved in the West, however belatedly and unevenly, and they are now more valued than in the past. On the other hand, the business of preparing for adulthood has become more complicated in urban and industrial societies, as the young face a bewildering array of choices and expectations. A History of Childhood will be an essential introduction to the subject for students of history, the social sciences and cultural studies.

Friends broaden our children's horizons, share their joys and secrets, and accompany them on their journeys into ever wider worlds. But friends can also gossip and betray, tease and exclude. Children can cause untold suffering, not only for their peers but for parents as well. In this wise and insightful book, psychologist Michael Thompson, Ph.D., and children's book author Catherine O'Neill Grace, illuminate the crucial and often hidden role that friendship plays in the lives of children from birth through adolescence.Drawing on fascinating new research as well as their own extensive experience in schools, Thompson and Grace demonstrate that children's friendships begin early–in infancy–and run exceptionally deep in intensity and loyalty. As children grow, their friendships become more complex and layered but also more emotionally fraught, marked by both extraordinary intimacy and bewildering cruelty. As parents, we watch, and often live through vicariously, the tumult that our children experience as they encounter the “cool” crowd, shifting alliances, bullies, and disloyal best friends.Best Friends, Worst Enemies brings to life the drama of childhood relationships, guiding parents to a deeper understanding of the motives and meanings of social behavior. Here you will find penetrating discussions of the difference between friendship and popularity, how boys and girls deal in unique ways with intimacy and commitment, whether all kids need a best friend, why cliques form and what you can do about them.Filled with anecdotes that ring amazingly true to life, Best Friends, Worst Enemies probes the magic and the heartbreak that all children experience with their friends. Parents, teachers, counselors–indeed anyone who cares about children–will find this an eye-opening and wonderfully affirming book.

Children at the Millennium

Drawing on work from within the developing field of childhood studies, this text examines theoretical and policy driven understandings of the current position of children in society. Through an analysis of policy reforms and professional initiatives within educational child care and legal contexts, the author examines different, potentially competing viewpoints of childrens social position. Chapters are devoted to a number of related themes, including child policy and moral ambiguity, the limits to child protection, the individualization of schooling and childhood and citizenship.