Towards a Sociology for Childhood: Thinking from Children's Lives

by Berry Mayall

Overview

This important book moves the sociology of childhood forward. Berry Mayall argues that since childhood is a permanent component of society, in order to understand how society works, we must take account of children as well as adults, otherwise our explanation omits an important social group. Children's lives are shaped by policies and practices, but they are also agents, who make a life for themselves through their relationships with adults and other children. This book argues that feminist theory and practice is useful for understanding childhood; we should start from the children's own accounts to show how the organization of social relations provides an explanation for their social position.

This is a political book: through analysis of children's own descriptions and evaluations of childhood, it argues for an improved social status of childhood, including respecting children's rights. The book also shows that in order to understand childhood we must take account of both child-adult relations (generational relations) and gender relations.

It is essential reading for childhood sociologists and feminists, and for all those seeking to raise the social status of childhood. It is highly recommended to students of childhood studies, at all levels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780335208425
Publisher:	McGraw-Hill Companies, The
Publication date:	05/01/2002
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.48(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgements	vi
Chapter 1	Introduction	1
Chapter 2	Studying childhood	9
Chapter 3	Studying relational processes	27
Chapter 4	Relations with parents	42
Chapter 5	Childhood work	63
Chapter 6	The moral status of childhood	87
Chapter 7	Towards a child standpoint	112
Chapter 8	Comparing childhoods	140
Chapter 9	Generation and gender	159
	Notes	179
	Appendix	187
	References	193
	Index	210

Editorial Reviews

Taking inspiration as well as approaches and techniques from those who did the same for women some years before, Mayall (childhood studies, U. of London) seeks to include children and childhood within sociological thinking: to portray children as participant agents in social relations and childhood as a social group fundamentally implicated in social relational processes. She does not recommend specific political or legal rights, but seeks to raise the status of children in public discourse. She draws data from children she has worked with in London during the 1990s. Distributed in the US by Taylor and Francis. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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