In this, the first sociology book to consider the important issue of how children identify with place and nation, the authors use original research and international case studies to explore this topic in depth. The book is rooted in original qualitative research the authors conducted with a diverse sample of children (aged eight to eleven) across Wales, but this data is also located in the context of existing international research on place identity. The book features analysis of lively exchanges between children on their local, national and global identities, politics, language and race. It engages with important social and political questions such as whether cultural distinctiveness can be preserved in a context of globalization, whether we are destined to passively receive dominant representations of the nation or can creatively construct our own versions; and whether national identities are necessarily exclusive. Most importantly, the book focuses on what local and national identities mean to children in an era of cultural and economic globalization. Including material on racialization, language, politics, class and gender, Children, Place and Identity will be a valuable resource to students and researchers of childhood studies and the sociology of childhood.

In recent years, childhood studies has become an increasingly popular programme at colleges and universities. This broad-ranging guide has been designed for use on such courses and introduces students to the key issues in the study of childhood, from infancy through to adulthood.

The text approaches childhood studies from an interdisciplinary and multi-professional perspective, presenting the basics of psychology, social welfare, education, health, law, culture, rights, politics and economics as they relate to children. For each discipline, the role of relevant professionals, such as social workers, nursery teachers, paediatric nurses and child lawyers, is also considered. The contributors have both practical and academic backgrounds in a range of specialist areas.To support student learning, each chapter includes an independent learning activity, case studies and an annotated bibliography, and there is a glossary of technical terms at the back of the book.

What are the social and cultural features that have the most impact on the interpretation of the legal standard, "best interest of the child"? One method for answering this question is through a comparison of two societies, Sweden and the United States, both of which apply the same legal standard to similar contested custody and visitation cases. This study views love, law, and knowledge as separate discourses. Love encompasses the interpretations of the actors whose claims arise from the emotions associated with care, concern, and relationships, namely parents, the children who are the subject of a case, and other family members. Justice encompasses the interpretations and claims which are made by judges, but its discourse includes the legal process and legal policies. Knowledge is encompassed by the concerns and claims of professionals and/or experts including social science discussions of care, welfare, and psychology and the interpretations and descriptions given by the professionals and experts regarding the actors in the cases. This book hypothesizes that a comparison of two societies that focuses on the interaction between the discourses of love, justice, and knowledge, in the process of decision-making in best interests of the child disputed custody cases, reveals features of decision-making that would be unavailable to researchers studying custody disputes in only one society.

This book addresses the endangerment of children's bodies in affluent societies. Bodily integrity is an important part of a child's physical and mental well-being, but it can also be violated through various threats during childhood; not only affecting physical health but also causing mental damage and leading to distortions in the development of the self. The authors give an account of three areas, which present different serious dangers: (1) body and eating, (2) body and sexuality, and (3) body and violence. Through an in-depth examination of the available theoretical and empirical knowledge, as well as a thorough ethical analysis, the central injustices in the mentioned areas are identified and the agents with responsibilities towards children displayed. The authors conclude by providing invaluable insight into the necessity of an ethical basis for policies to safeguard children and their bodies.

In this book Chris Jenks looks at what the ways in which we construct our image of childhood can tell us about ourselves. After a general discussion of the social construction of childhood, the book is structured around three examples of the way the image of the child is played out in society:

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• the history of childhood from medieval times through the enlightenment 'discovery' of childhood to the present
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• the mythology and reality of child abuse and society's response to it
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• the 'death' of childhood in cases such as the James Bulger murder in which the child itself becomes the perpetrator of evil.

Part of the highly successful Key Ideas series, this book gives students a concise, provocative insight into some of the controlling concepts of our culture.

Based on eye-witness accounts, interviews, and prodigious research by the author, who is an expert in the field, this is a unique contribution to the literature of World War II, and a most compelling account of German inhumanity towards children in occupied Poland.

"Child Emotional Security and Interparental Conflict "tests a theory proposing that high levels of conflict between parents leads to an increased child risk for mental health difficulties by shaking the child's sense of security in the family. This insecurity was associated with greater mental health difficulties, even when considering the role of prior mental health, child perceptions of parental conflict, and parent-child relations.

"Linguistic Variation as Social Practice" is a study of the speech of the adolescent population of a midwestern high school, relating individuals' subtle patterns of pronunciation and grammar to participation in the peer social order.

Based on two years of sociolinguistic and ethnographic fieldwork in one school, supplemented by shorter periods of fieldwork in three other schools, the study focuses on the polarized social categories, the "jocks" and the "burnouts," that dominate social organization in all of these schools. This book describes the social categories, networks, and practices that constitute the local adolescent social order, relates these to wider patterns in the urban-suburban area, and ultimately to wider societal patterns.

"Linguistic Variation as Social Practice" is an ideal text for advanced students of sociolinguistics and anthropological linguistics.

In the vast anthropological literature devoted to hunter-gatherer societies, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the place of hunter-gatherer children. Children often represent 40 percent of hunter-gatherer populations, thus nearly half the population is omitted from most hunter-gatherer ethnographies and research. This volume is designed to bridge the gap in our understanding of the daily lives, knowledge, and development of hunter-gatherer children.

The twenty-six contributors to Hunter-Gatherer Childhoods use three general but complementary theoretical approaches--evolutionary, developmental, cultural--in their presentations of new and insightful ethnographic data. For instance, the authors employ these theoretical orientations to provide the first systematic studies of hunter-gatherer children's hunting, play, infant care by children, weaning and expressions of grief. The chapters focus on understanding the daily life experiences of children, and their views and feelings about their lives and cultural change. Chapters address some of the following questions: why does childhood exist, who cares for hunter-gatherer children, what are the characteristic features of hunter-gatherer children's development and what are the impacts of culture change on hunter-gatherer child care?

The book is divided into five parts. The first section provides historical, theoretical and conceptual framework for the volume; the second section examines data to test competing hypotheses regarding why childhood is particularly long in humans; the third section expands on the second section by looking at who cares for hunter-gatherer children; the fourth section explores several developmental issues such as weaning, play and loss of loved ones; and, the final section examines the impact of sedentism and schools on hunter-gatherer children.

This pioneering volume will help to stimulate further research and scholarship on hunter-gatherer childhoods, thereby advancing our understanding of the way of life that characterized most of human history and of the processes that may have shaped both human development and human evolution.

This collection of authoritative studies portrays how the A basic agencies of socialization transform the newborn human organism into a social person capable of interacting with others. Socialization differs from one society to another and within any society from one segment to another. "Childhood Socialization "samples some of that variation, giving the reader a glimpse of socialization in contexts other than those with which he or she is likely to be familiar.

In the years since publication of the first edition of this book in 1988, childhood has become a territory open to broader sociological investigation. In this revised edition, Gerald Handel has selected and gathered new contributions that analyze the agents of socialization, including family, school, and peer group, and explore the influences of television and gender. The balance of classical studies and more recent work reflecting changes in the family structure renews the centrality of this anthology for courses in the social psychology of children up to adolescence.

The book is divided into nine parts: "Socialization, Indi-viduation, and the Self; "Historical Changes in Attitudes Toward Children"; "Families as Socialization Agents"; "Daycare and Nursery School as Socialization Agents"; "Schools as Socialization Agents"; "Peer Groups as Socialization Agents"; "Television and its Influence"; "Gender Socialization"; and "Social Stratification and Inequality in Socialization." While socialization continues on into the adolescent and adult years, childhood socialization is primary, essential in creating the human person and in shaping the identity, outlook, skills, and resources of the evolving person. "Childhood Socialization "is a dynamic volume that will be of continuing interest to students and scholars of family studies, sociology, psychology, and modern culture.

Over 100,000 children were sent across the seas to Canada between 1869 and the late 1930s. Thousands of others were dispatched to Australia - as well as to New Zealand, South Africa and Rhodesia - up to and even after the Second World War. These young migrants came from charitable organizations or children's homes, and were sent to find a better life as agricultural workers and servants, mechanics and skilled artisans. They were the 'superfluous thousands' of Britain's cities, including workhouse paupers, reformatory inmates, children from industrial schools and those rescued from slums and the streets. Ranging from five- and six-year olds to teenagers, all were thrust into an alien world from which there was little chance of return. This compelling book tells the story of this controversial practice, from the accounts of those involved and the authentic records of the time. It traces the people behind the migrations - exploring their beliefs and aspirations for the children in their care. It considers the roles that different organizations (including the Children's Society, National Children's Home and the Catholic Nugent Society Care Homes) played as well as the shipping lines that carried the children from Liverpool, Glasgow and other ports and the centers that received them overseas. Most importantly, it describes the experiences of the children themselves. Clear-sighted and objective, this is a gripping tale of the good, the bad and the ugly based on original documents from The National Archives and other sources. Above all, it celebrates those who welcomed the migrants and the children who managed, against all the odds, to adapt to their new lives.

Concern is growing about the effectiveness of television advertising regulation in the light of technological developments in the media. There is currently a rapid growth of TV platforms in terrestrial, sattelite, and cable formats and these will soon move into digital transmission. These all offer opportunities for greater commercilization through advertising on media that have not previously been exploited. In democratic societies, there is a tension between freedom of speech rights and the harm that might be done to children through commercial messages. This book explores all of these issues and looks to the future in considering how effective codes of practice and regulation will develop.

Based on a study of 12,000 elementary schoolchildren in eight large and medium-sized American cities, this book presents the first large-scale study of political attitude formation in children. The authors view political development from the perspective of a general theory of socialization, and compare the influences of social class, intelligence, teacher attitude, and religious membershipon the growth of political attitudes.
The book outlines the way in which the child's political awareness evolvesfrom identification with authority figures such as father, policeman, the president, to a grasp of more abstract political concepts and the rudiments of political participation. Illuminating a topic of great theoretical concern and practical educational importance, the book is a significant contribution to the fields of political sociology, child development and educational psychology, and an important reference work for all concerned with the processes of socialization and of attitude formation in general.
"The Development of Political Attitudes in Children" was based on a major survey, the first of its kind, begun at the University of Chicago in 1960 to ascertain information about the induction of children into the political life of the United States, to describe the nature of socialization into citizenship roles, and to examine pre-adult political learning and behavior in terms of other implications for the stability of the political system. Professor Frederick Frey of MIT described it as "an indispensable work for all who are trying to develop this new and tremendously important vineyardas nearly indispensable as any book of the past several years."
"Their verbatim interviews with grade-schoolers are pungent and entertaining. A useful homework assignment for mothers and fathers.""New York Times"
"Robert D. Hess" was the Lee L. Jacks Professor Emeritus of Child Education at Stanford University. He was one of the nation's pioneers in the study of child development and the social influences on children's intellectual growth. His work laid the foundations of current enrichment programs such as Headstart and Follow Through. He died in 1993. "Judith V. Torney-Purta" is professor in the Department of Human Development, University of Maryland. "Jaan Valsiner" is professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Clark University.

Alan Prout discusses the place of children and childhood in the late modernity. He argues that as the general social and economic climate has been increasingly dominated by uncertainty, so there appears to be a greater cultural confusion about the appropriate form that childhood should take. There is an increasing tendency to see children as individuals with rights, however, there are also calls for, and measures to implement, the greater surveillance, control and regulation of children. This volume addresses this issue. It shows that the social, economic and technological uncertainties, and the pace of change in the late modernity, have brought child-adult relationships to the point of crisis.
The book looks at the issues involved in balancing the well-being, and future well-being of children in industrialised countries. These assessments of future wellbeing are based around recent research looking at social trends in several countries. Importantly, the book also looks at the inclusion and participation of young people in the decision-making process.

Alan Prout discusses the place of children and childhood in the late modernity. He argues that as the general social and economic climate has been increasingly dominated by uncertainty, so there appears to be a greater cultural confusion about the appropriate form that childhood should take. There is an increasing tendency to see children as individuals with rights, however, there are also calls for, and measures to implement, the greater surveillance, control and regulation of children. This volume addresses this issue. It shows that the social, economic and technological uncertainties, and the pace of change in the late modernity, have brought child-adult relationships to the point of crisis.
The book looks at the issues involved in balancing the well-being, and future well-being of children in industrialised countries. These assessments of future wellbeing are based around recent research looking at social trends in several countries. Importantly, the book also looks at the inclusion and participation of young people in the decision-making process.

The Global History of Black Girlhood boldly claims that Black girls are so important we should know their histories. Yet, how do we find the stories and materials we need to hear Black girls' voices and understand their lives? Corinne T. Field and LaKisha Michelle Simmons edit a collection of writings that explores the many ways scholars, artists, and activists think and write about Black girls' pasts. The contributors engage in interdisciplinary conversations that consider what it means to be a girl; the meaning of Blackness when seen from the perspectives of girls in different times and places; and the ways Black girls have imagined themselves as part of a global African diaspora. Thought-provoking and original, The Global History of Black Girlhood opens up new possibilities for understanding Black girls in the past while offering useful tools for present-day Black girls eager to explore the histories of those who came before them. Contributors: Janae E. Bonsu, Ruth Nicole Brown, Tara Bynum, Casidy Campbell, Katherine Capshaw, Bev Palesa Ditsie, Sarah Duff, Cynthia Greenlee, Claudrena Harold, Anasa Hicks, Lindsey Jones, Phindile Kunene, Denise Oliver-Velez, Jennifer Palmer, Vanessa Plumly, Shani Roper, SA Smythe, Nastassja Swift, Dara Walker, Najya Williams, and Nazera Wright

Children are at the heart of popular and public debates in North America and Europe about the culture of public space. On the one hand there is increased anxiety about children's vulnerability to stranger danger, on the other there is a rising tide of fear about out of control and dangerous youth. This book addresses both these debates about children's role in public space, setting them within an academic framework and drawing on a range of interdisciplinary work on childhood, young people and parenting. It is therefore relevant to practitioners and policy makers concerned with the nature and future of public space, and to academics researching or teaching about childhood, family or public space in the disciplines of sociology, social policy and geography.

The Future of Memory interviews more than 30 individuals who were children at the time of the Argentine dictatorship from 1976 to 1983. They include children of parents disappeared and murdered by the military, children off families who had to go into exile, and 'stolen children', taken from their parents and raised by military families in ignorance of their true origin. It examines how children experience state terror and loss, and in doing so provides a very personal introduction to the recent political past in Argentina.

In a juvenile courtroom, the judge reprimanded the caseworkers, the attorneys, and CASA for responding to a no-fault dependency case as an abuse case, "There is nobody bad here "
There were no criminals. There was no crime.
Then why were we sitting in the accused chairs?
As an infant, Daniel entered the foster care system as a result of severe neglect, which manifested in violence and aggression later in his childhood.
Desperate to get their adoptive son, Daniel, into a residential treatment center and keep their other children safe, the state of Illinois left Jim and Toni Hoy with two options. If they brought their son home from the psychiatric hospital for the 11th time in 2 years, the Department of Children and Family Services threatened to charge them with child endangerment for failure to protect their other children. Mental health professionals recommended abandoning him at the hospital after the state denied all viable sources of funding for his treatment. Making that choice would trigger a child abuse investigation and subsequent neglect charges.
Daniel re-entered the foster care system for no other reason than he was mentally ill.
A year later, Daniel's mother discovered that his treatment was covered by a funding source that he was awarded as part of his special needs adoption. The EPSDT provision of Medicaid. How could they get the state government to understand the federal law and re-gain custody of their son?
"Second Time Foster Child" is the story of parents who never gave up on their son, despite being prosecuted and persecuted in exchange for his medically necessary treatment.

Thinkers and activists from many orientations and traditions are now coming together to explore ways to reconstitute rites of passage as a form of community healing for our public and personal ills. Crossroads is a comprehensive collection of over fifty cutting-edge writings on diverse aspects of the transition to adulthood.

"In no uncertain terms, Crossroads opens our eyes to our responsibility to the adolescents who are now growing up without sacred rituals and hence without knowledge of spiritual roots in their culture. Many of the writers have first-hand experience and first-rate ideas of how to transform this cultural crisis. Crossroads also challenges us to integrate our own inner adolescent. Piercing insight with realistic hope " -- Marlon Woodman The Ravaged Bridegroom

Parenting can be worrisome and challenging. If your child struggles with ADD it can be incredibly frustrating and absolutely bewildering. Understanding what is going on inside your child's head is the first step. Helping them understand themselves starts their momentum. You and your child working together in a positive relationship will carry them through to a positive outcome, whatever that is meant to be.
Pudd'nhead Parenting addresses the much neglected but critical topic of how to form the right relationship with your child. You can watch them struggle with ADD despite your best efforts, or you can become a positive and supportive influence. Pudd'nhead Parenting teaches you how to employ your best parenting instincts to help your child find direction, learn life skills and go on to become who they really are. Years from now your child will thank you for taking the steps outlined in this book.

Girls are everywhere these days: they rule MTV and the pop charts; they are big box-office draws; they are on the covers of top-selling magazines; and they score the winning points in professional sports. Despite the recent flurry of books exploring girlhood, like Odd Girl Out and The Secret Lives of Girls, these titles mainly tackle the topic of aggression in young women.
Anita Harris, in her new book Future Girl, goes beyond this to create a realistic portrait of the 'new girl' that has appeared in the twenty-first century - she may still play with Barbie, but she is also likely to play soccer or basketball, be assertive and may even be sexually aware, if not active. Building on this new definition, Harris explores the many key areas central to the lives of girls from a global perspective, such as girlspace, schools, work, aggression, sexuality and power.
In an era of girl power and Riot grrls, Future Girl provides a fresh and original perspective on what it means to be young and female at the beginning of the new millennium.

Exclusion from social groups is a source of conflict, stress, and tension in social life around the globe. How do children and adolescents evaluate exclusion based on group membership? This monograph is the report of an investigation of social exclusion in the contexts of friendship, peer groups, and school. Guided by social-cognitive domain theory, social psychological, and developmental theories on intergroup relationships, children and adolescents from four different ethnic groups were interviewed. The findings revealed that gender exclusion was more readily condoned than racial exclusion, and that exclusion in the friendship and peer group contexts were judged to be more legitimate than exclusion in the school context. There were also significant differences depending on the gender, age, and ethnicity of the participants. The results support the proposal that exclusion is multifaceted, involving a range of social and moral considerations.

Children's Places examines the ways in which children and adults, from their different vantage points in society, negotiate the proper place of children in both social and spatial terms. It looks at some of the recognized constructions of children, including perspectives from cultures that do not distinguish children as a distinct category of people, as well as examining contexts for them, from schools and kindergartens to inner cities and war-zones. The result is an insight into the notions of inclusion and exclusion, the placement and displacement of children within generational ranks and orders, and the kinds of places that children construct for themselves. Based on in-depth ethnographic research from Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, Australia and New Zealand, it challenges Eurocentric theories of childhood.

Children's Places examines the ways in which children and adults, from their different vantage points in society, negotiate the proper place of children in both social and spatial terms. It looks at some of the recognized constructions of children, including perspectives from cultures that do not distinguish children as a distinct category of people, as well as examining contexts for them, from schools and kindergartens to inner cities and war-zones. The result is an insight into the notions of inclusion and exclusion, the placement and displacement of children within generational ranks and orders, and the kinds of places that children construct for themselves. Based on in-depth ethnographic research from Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, Australia and New Zealand, it challenges Eurocentric theories of childhood.