Childhood
“Childhood” by Chris Jenks, published by Psychology Press in 1996, explores the sociology of childhood, an area that has gained significant academic and policy interest in recent years. This 146-page work examines how childhood has traditionally been viewed through the lenses of socialization and developmental psychology, often treating children as natural rather than social entities. Jenks offers insights into the social factors that shape our understanding of children and childhood, emphasizing the importance of a social constructionist perspective.
Readers will find a critical framework that helps to analyze private attitudes and public policies related to children. The book highlights the variability of childhood perceptions across different cultures and historical contexts, challenging conventional notions of childhood as a fixed concept. By delving into the social sciences, this edition provides a nuanced understanding of children’s studies and sociology, making it a valuable resource for those interested in the complexities of childhood as a social phenomenon.
Official synopsis Publisher
The sociology of childhood has a relatively short history, yet it has grown as an area of academic and policy interest in recent years. The social sciences previously handled childhood either through theories of socialization or through developmental psychology – approaches which have led to children being considered as a natural rather than social phenomenon. This work offers a greater appreciation of the social factors that make up our knowledge of children and childhood. It provides a critical framework through which to understand private attitudes and public policy in relation to the child, viewing childhood from a social constructionist perspective. The basic assumption that childhood is a social construct reveals that our understandings of childhood and the meanings that we place upon children vary considerably from culture to culture, but also quite radically within the history of any one culture such as our own.
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