This comprehensive reader combines post-graduate level theory with contemporary case studies to illustrate and analyse the complications of children and young people's lived experiences in the UK and worldwide in the early 21st century. Authors in several fields of childhood and youth studies apply their expertise to areas such as young people and the law, children's rights, child protection, sexuality, participation, politics and family life. Using the voices of the children and young people themselves, key topics illustrate important contemporary issues in the study of childhood and youth and show how these impact on policy initiatives and practical interventions in children's lives.

Child prostitution became one of the key concerns of the international community in the 1990s. World congresses were held, international and national laws were changed and concern over "cemmercially sexually exploited children" rose dramatically. Rarely, however, were the children who worked as prostitutes consulted of questioned in this process, and the voices of these children brought into focus. This book is the first to address the children directly, to examine their daily lives, their motivations and their perceptions of what they do. Based on 15 months of fieldwork in a Thai tourist community that survived through child prostitution, this book draws on anthropological theories on childhood and kinship to contextualize the experiences of this group of Thai child prostitutes and to contrast these with the stereotypes held of them by those outside their community.

Child prostitution became one of the key concerns of the international community in the 1990s. World congresses were held, international and national laws were changed and concern over "commercially sexually exploited children" rose dramatically. Rarely, however, were the children who worked as prostitutes consulted or questioned in this process, and the voices of these children brought into focus. This book is the first to address the children directly, to examine their daily lives, their motivations and their perceptions of what they do. Based on 15 months of fieldwork in a Thai tourist community that survived through child prostitution, this book draws on anthropological theories on childhood and kinship to contextualize the experiences of this group of Thai child prostitutes and to contrast these with the stereotypes held of them by those outside their community.

This landmark publication from Routledge reflects the widespread recognition of Childhood Studies as a significant and mature area of cross-disciplinary study and research. And as serious scholarly work in and around Childhood Studies blossoms as never before, this new four-volume collection from Routledge's acclaimed Critical Concepts in the Social Sciences series meets the need for an authoritative reference work to make sense of a rapidly growing and ever more complex corpus of literature. With contributions from a broad range of disciplines (including Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work, Education, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, History, Geography, and Law), Childhood Studies assembles the key theoretical and empirical major works in a 'one-stop' resource. It covers themes such as: generational relations; everyday lives; practice and participation; and children's rights and their place in the world. The collection shows how Childhood Studies has widened its focus from developmental issues to the broader concerns of children in society, as actors and agents, and as subjects of policy intervention. Edited by a leading scholar, Childhood Studies is an indispensable resource for all those concerned with the study of children and childhood.

This substantially updated new edition sets out the contexts of children's and young people's lives and encourages students to explore their complexities and contexts. Each chapter challenges students' assumptions and examines crucial issues in the field, such as participation, race, and transnational childhoods.

"Children's Literature: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends" provides students with high quality critical material on a selection of important classic and contemporary children's books. From Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" to J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" to Melvin Burgess's "Junk," each has been selected because they still find a favoured place on the bookshelves of today's children and because they are widely studied on university courses. These case studies explore children's literature across a variety of genres and ages, bringing together lively and accessible scholarly essays by leading scholars, some reprinted and others newly commissioned. The collection is supported by detailed introductory material, suggestions for further reading and a colour plate section reproducing covers and illustrations.