Shaping Childhood

What part has religion played in the history of childrearing? How do we persuade children to behave rationally and how should we exercise adult authority? Has history left us with ideas about the child which make no sense in the prevaling conditions of the late twentieth century? InShaping Childhoodthese questions are explored through themes from the history of childhood. Today parents face raising children within a range of state agencies, institutions and a complex legal code. This volume concentrates on broader cultural forces, including religion, television, literature and mass consumption: forces which dramatically influence parenting today. It will be invaluable reading for students of cultural studies and practitioners in social work, sociology, and education.

Roger Cox is Lecturer in Social Studies at the University of Nottingham.