Rethinking childhood: attitudes in contemporary society

Introduction to New Childhoods series

Part 1. Debates, Dilemmas And Challenges: An Introduction To Attitudes Towards Children

1. Introduction

Introduction and key questions

How is childhood changing?

What is research revealing about attitudes towards children?

What are the uses of looking at attitudes towards children?

Part 2. An Interdisciplinary Overview of Recent Research and Scholarship

2. What are Attitudes Towards Children?

Introduction and key questions

Are children still seen and not heard?

Is Childhood Changing?

What are contemporary tensions in Childhood?

What are emerging ideas about 'new childhoods'?

Summary

Research details

3. How are Otherness and Childhood Connected?

Introduction and key questions

What does being 'other' mean?

Childish and immature: are children the ultimate other?

Are children seen primarily in terms of not being adults?

How does children's otherness affect their lives?

Can othering be challenged?

Summary

Part 3. Implications for Children's Lives

4. Incomplete Adults? Decision Making and Autonomy

Introduction and key questions

What is an incompetent child?

Do adults encourage the idea that children are incapable and incompetent?

What is a competent Child?

Maturation, dependency and autonomy: old enough to make a decision?

Can children be trusted? Children and adult power

What are effective ways of recognizing children's capability?

Guidance from research and practice sources

Summary

Further reading

Research details

5. Babies, Barbies and Blues: stereotyping and its challengers

Introduction and key questions

What are adult attitudes towards children's gender?

Why do adults pink and blue children? Babies and beyond

What is the impact of the ways adults try to gender children's worlds?

How do children respond to their gendered world? How do they make their worlds in terms of gender and image?

What are the implications of research on living and working with children?

Summary

Further reading

Research details

6. Fear for Children and Fear of Children: protection and projection

Introduction and key questions

What are adult attitudes concerning fear for, and fear of children?

How do adult ideas and practices concerning our fear for children affect children's lives?

How do adult ideas and practices concerning our fear for children affect children's lives?

How can attitudes be challenged and changed?

Summary

Further reading

Research details

7. Unseen and Unheard or Seen and Heard? Participation and Exclusion

Introduction and key questions

How and why do adults make decisions that shape children's worlds for them?

What impact does adult decision making have on children's lives?

What ideas and practices have been developed concerning children's participation?

How has research explored the practice and impact of children's participation in decision making?

What does research say about the experiences of children and young people?

Summary

Further reading

Research details

8. Challenging Otherness: child rights and the child's voice

Introduction and key questions

How can attitudes be challenged?

How can the child's voice be prioritized?

What does research reveal about children's voices and their impact?

Summary

Further reading

Research details

References

Index