The Palgrave Handbook of Childhood Studies

by Qvortrup, Jens; Corsaro, William A.; Honig, Michael-Sebastian

• ISBN13: 9780230532618
• ISBN10: 0230532616
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-08-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

This landmark publication in the study of children and childhood signals the recognition of a significant area of study. Childhood studies has both matured and experienced remarkable diversification over the past twenty-five years and this Handbook, an essential guide to the subject, is an indication that childhood has become a legitimate field of study in its own right. With contributions from an international line-up of leading scholars, from across a range of disciplines including sociology, social policy, social work, education, cultural studies, history, geography and law, this collection of specially-commissioned essays maps the field whilst setting a research agenda for future study. Divided into six parts - concepts; historical and socio-economic contexts; generational relations; everyday lives; practice and participation; children's rights and place in the world - this substantive reference work charts how childhood studies has moved beyond developmental issues to focus on broader issues of children in society, as actors and agents, and as subjects of policy intervention. Providing a comprehensive overview of key theoretical and empirical work in the field, this Handbook will be an indispensable reference resource for all those concerned with the study of children and childhood.

Author Biography

JENS QVORTRUP is Professor of Sociology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and former Director of the Norwegian Centre for Child Research, Trondheim, Norway.  A founding father of childhood studies, he was the Founding President of the International Sociological Association's section on sociology of childhood (1988-1998), Director of the pioneering study 'Childhood as a Social Phenomenon' (1987-1992) and co-editor of the journal Childhood (1999-2008).  He has written extensively on childhood and his publications include Childhood Matters, Childhood and Children's Culture, Studies in Modern Childhood and The Modern Child and the Flexible Labour Market.
 
WILLIAM A. CORSARO is the Robert H. Shaffer Endowed Chair in the Department of Sociology at Indiana University, USA.  He has held Visiting Fellowships in Italy and Norway.  He has written widely on childhood and early education and his publications include Friendship and Peer Culture in the Early Years, We’re Friends, Right?: Inside Kids’ Culture, I Compagni: Understanding Children’s Transition from Preschool to Elementary School (with Luisa Molinari).  His book The Sociology of Childhood is now in its second edition and has been translated into Danish and Italian.
 
MICHAEL-SEBASTIAN HONIG is Professor of Social Work at the University of Luxembourg.  Previously he held posts as Head of the Department of Children and Child Care at the German Youth Institute, Munich, and Professor of Pedagogy at the University of Trier, Germany.  His many publications include Entwurf einer Theorie der Kindheit (Towards a Theory of Childhood).  He is co-editor of the German Journal of the Sociology of Education and Socialization and an editorial board member for Childhood. He edits the German book series Childhoods: New Directions published by Juventa Publishing.

 
 

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Editors * PART 1: CONCEPTS OF CHILDHOOD STUDIES * Structure (Age, Transition, Generation)--J.Qvortrup * Agency--A.James * Childhood as a Symbolic Form--C.Jenks * Child, Children, Childhood--M-S.Honig * Child Development and Development of Childhood--M.Woodhead * PART 2: HISTORICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXTS OF CHILDHOOD  * Origin and Evolution of Childhood--H.Hendrick * Transitions to Modernity--J.Gillis * Towards a Severance of Reproduction and Production--D.Hernandez * Pluralisation of Family Forms--A-M.Jensen * Institutionalisation as a Secular Trend--H.Zeiher * PART 3: GENERATIONAL RELATIONS * Societal Level (Children/Adults)--T.Olk * Family Level (Children/Parents/Grandparents/Siblings)--B.Mayall * Generational Ordering and Interconnections--L.Alanen * Collective Identities--H.Hengst * Interests in and Responsibility for Children and Their Life Worlds--D.Bühler-Niederberger&H.Sünker * PART 4: CHILDREN'S EVERYDAY LIVES/THE LOCAL FRAMEWORK * Children's Bodies--L.Fingerson  * Family Life--E.Näsman * Day Care and Preschool as Settings for Children's Interactions--G.Dahlberg * Constraints and Opportunities in Localities--J.McKendrick * Children's Environments (Spaces, Places)--G.Valentine * Children's Time--J.Ennew * Children as Problems, Problems of Children--K.Rosier * PART 5: CHILDREN'S PRACTICE - CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS * Child Labour, Child Work, School Work--O.Nieuwenhuys * Peer Cultures--W.A.Corsaro * Play and Games--A-C.Ewaldsson * Leisure Time and Cultural Activities--I.Frønes  * Children as Consumers--D.Cook * Children and the Media (TV, Film, Video)--D.Buckingham * Use of Electronic Media--K.Drotner * PART 6: CHILDREN'S RIGHTS AND PLACE IN THE WORLD * UNCRC: Relevance and Application--M.Freeman * Globalisation and Childhood--C.Katz * Migration and Care Chains--A.Bailey * International Responsibility for Children's Rights and Welfare--N.H.Kaufman&I.Rizzini * Index