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.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!