FAH - T2- CHILDHOOD
- Created by: missamy11211
- Created on: 09-06-17 08:48
View mindmap
- FAH - T2 - CHILDHOOD
- Childhood as social construct
- created and defined by society - different cultures
- Pilcher: Modern Western Notion
- children different from adults. immature and can't run own lives.
- Pilcher: seperateness important aspect of childhood. Children separate to adults. Emphasised by laws, dress, toys
- lead lives of leisure and play - need adult protection
- Wagg: no single universal experience. Western: vulnerable. others: strong
- Benedict: Cross cultural differences
- Benedict: non industrial societies different to Western. Less clear cut boundary of adult and child
- responsibility: Punch: Bolivia age 5 expected to work
- less value on child obedience: Firth: Tikpia tribe: doing as told = decision of child
- sexual behaviour allowed. Malinowski: Trobriand Islanders amusement at child sex activity
- Benedict: non industrial societies different to Western. Less clear cut boundary of adult and child
- Globalisation of Western childhood
- Western norm imposed on rest of world through humanitarian campaigns: childhood = separate life stage of nuclear family protection and no economic role
- campaigns have little impact on 3rd world children
- Western norm imposed on rest of world through humanitarian campaigns: childhood = separate life stage of nuclear family protection and no economic role
- Aries and Shorter: Historical differences
- Aries: childhood did not exist in Middle Ages. Children = mini adults, working after weaning
- uses paintings to show how children merely painted smaller, same clothes
- modern cult of childhood - 13th century emergence: child centered society: education of young + different clothes + childrearing handbooks
- Pollack: Middle Ages simple different notion
- Shorter: high death rates encouraged middle age parents neglect
- Aries: childhood did not exist in Middle Ages. Children = mini adults, working after weaning
- Reasons for changes in children position
- laws restricting child labour - financially dependent on parents
- compulsory schooling: extends dependency
- child protection: Cruelty to Children Act
- laws for children and adults: children can't smoke, sex, drink
- Future of childhood
- Postman: dissapearance of childhood
- dissapearing at dazzling speed: children commit adult crime, same clothes as adults
- information hierarchy
- childhood became seperate when literacy developed: adults conceal info about sex, crime. = children associated with innocence
- TV destroys info hierarchy. Children access same info - innocence replaced by knowledge
- Opie: Postman overemphasises TV as single cause - children games, songs
- Jenks: childhood in postmodernity
- postmodern society makes family relationships unstable - protection of children
- child always child - last certain aspect of life for adults. Become occupied with protecting them - makes children seem innocent and vulnerable
- over generalises - sweeping statements assuming all children in same position
- child always child - last certain aspect of life for adults. Become occupied with protecting them - makes children seem innocent and vulnerable
- believes it is CHANGING, not dissapearing
- postmodern society makes family relationships unstable - protection of children
- Postman: dissapearance of childhood
- Has the position of children improved?
- MoP view
- improving position: De Mause: further back in history more child abuse
- Aries + Shorter: today children valued, educated, protected. By law
- child centered family: children now focal point, parents emotionally invest in child, high aspirations
- society also child centered: media + lesiure = child specific
- toxic childhood: (eval of MoP view): Palmer: rapid technology changes (junk food, computer games, education testing) damage children's intellectual development
- Conflict view
- inequality among children
- not all children share same experiences
- ethnic: Brannen: study of 16 yr olds: Asian families stricter to daughters
- gender: Hillman + Bonke: boys allowed to cross roads + girls do more domestic labour
- class: W/C mothers more likely to have low birth babies - delays development
- not all children share same experiences
- inequality between children and adults:
- Firestone and Holt: what MoP view as protection is actually oppression. Takes many forms:
- control over childrens space
- Cunnigham: childrens 'home habitat' (where they can travel alone) shrunken to 1/9th of previous.
- 3rd world: Katz: many children roam villages freely
- control over childrens time
- adults control routines: eating, sleeping, school, etc
- adults define growing up, if child is too old or young for task
- Holmes: study of 3rd world, never too young to do task
- control over childrens bodies
- touch taken forgranted: adults kiss, smack, hold hand, wash children
- restrict hairstyles, ear piercing
- control over childrens access to resources
- no chance to earn money: pocket money for good behaviour, state benefit to adult not child
- control over childrens space
- Gittins: Age patriarchy: adult domination over children dependency. Patriarchy oppresses children too
- Hockey and James: children want to escape modern childhood. react to oppression by acting up - doing adult things, smoking, swearing
- adult domination justified as children cannot make rational decisions
- Hockey and James: children want to escape modern childhood. react to oppression by acting up - doing adult things, smoking, swearing
- Firestone and Holt: what MoP view as protection is actually oppression. Takes many forms:
- inequality among children
- New sociology of childhood
- Mayall: we have 'adultist' view - see children as objects. New sociology view them as active agents creating own childhood
- Tipper: child defines who is family, not 'proper' but who is close
- Smart: study of divorce - found children actively aim to make better situation.
- view allows us to study multiple childhoods
- Tipper: child defines who is family, not 'proper' but who is close
- Mayall: we have 'adultist' view - see children as objects. New sociology view them as active agents creating own childhood
- MoP view
- Childhood as social construct
Comments
No comments have yet been made