Chapter 5: Childhood Flashcards
What are the key features of WYNESS’s dominant framework?
- Childhood & adulthood are seen as opposites
- Children aren’t seen in their own right but are seen as future adults
- Children are most primitive stage of individuality
What does Aires say about the centuries of childhood?
Idea of childhood as a social construction
In mediaeval times modern conceptions of childhood didn’t exist:
Chronological age wasn’t considered significant
Children often died before reaching adulthood
Children were expected to do work as soon as they good
Few specialist clothes sized for children
Children not protected from exposure to sexuality
What factors lead AIRES to believe towards the end of the mediaeval period, modern conceptions of childhood were appearing?
Church leaders saw children as ‘fragile creatures who needed to be safeguarded and reformed’
Introduction of schools
Society became more child-centred
What does SHORTER say about childhood and the modern family?
Mothers were tougher in 17th and 18th century - tough love
Romantic love began to develop, children see as products of special relationships
What did POSTMAN say about the development of childhood?
Explanation for changes in childhood as lying in technological change.
Printing press development: learning to read became important, led to separation of adults and children
Schools could provide safety and protection, treated differently to adults
What does JENKS say about childhood and postmodernity?
Identities have become destabilised and children have become primary relationship - parents determined to protect children
Where parents have split, child is centre of lone parent families (value time with children more than adult relationship)
What did POSTMAN claim were the reasons for the disappearance of childhood?
Growth of mass media has exposed children to adult world
Easy for them to access images of sex and suffering on TV programs
The difference is increasingly blurred
- Children dress in more adult ways (more sexualised) - ‘Tweenager’ 10-12 yrs
What does EVANS and CHANDLER say about children as consumers?
Increasing participation of children in consumption.
Strong peer pressure amongst children to persuade parents to buy latest designer good
What does JENKS say about the distinctiveness of childhood?
Accepted there is increasing confusion over the nature of childhood, doesn’t believe it is disappearing.
Children are highly regulated and restricted by laws which control behaviour in public spaces
James Bulger case - question caused by innocence of children
What did MAYALL say about the underestimated ability of children?
Children need a voice
Protects them and makes them less vulnerable to adults
