The Social Study of Childhood An Introduction

Historically, children were often understood in relation to their development towards adulthood, but the 'new paradigm' of childhood studies has since shown how they should be taken more seriously as active participants in their own lives. Studying childhood is not just a question of research on children, but increasingly a practice of research with them. With this 'new paradigm' having now come of age, Sally McNamee offers a comprehensive overview of the current state of childhood studies and its history. Taking a thematic approach, she looks at how issues such as rights and citizenship, the state, the family, school, work, leisure, health and globalisation shape and are shaped by children.

The Social Study of Childhood is an accessible introduction for students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds such as childhood studies, sociology, psychology, social work and education. With reflection points for discussion and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter, it is an engaging and stimulating account of how and why children's voices deserve to be heard in today's world.

Sally McNamee is Associate Professor at King's University College at Western University, Canada. She has carried out research and teaching in the field of childhood studies since 1993 and has worked on numerous research projects in the UK before moving to Canada, where she continues to teach and research issues around childhood. She is co-editor of The Politics of Childhood: International Perspectives, Contemporary Developments (2005, with Jim Goddard, Adrian James and Allison James).

Introduction
1. Ways of understanding children, childhood and the child over time
2. Theories of childhood
3. Issues in researching childhood
4. Childhood, rights and citizenship
5. Childhood and the state: children, social policy and law
6. Children and family
7. Children in school
8. Children at work
9. Children at leisure
10. Children and health
11. Globalization and diversity in childhood
Final thoughts