Social Construction

Question 1

Uprichard

Answer 1

2008
‘Being child is someone who becomes an adult’
‘What the child will be’
‘Actively constructing his or her own childhood’

Question 2

Bramen and o’brien

Answer 2

1995

The legal status of children

Question 3

4 parts of society constructing childhood

Answer 3

Practices
Social institution
Ideologies
Discourses

Question 4

Practices

Answer 4

E.g baby clothes, children’s literature about normative childhood
Practices create distinction between child and adult

Question 5

Social institution

Answer 5

E.g compulsory schooling (children need to be educated)
Child specific laws and policies (institution - the law, health) e.g can’t smoke in a car with under 18 yr old - reinforcing children can’t make on choices

Question 6

Discourses

Answer 6

Communication
How we talk about children produces childhood
E.g rules such as ‘children must not..’ Assume only children would behave in a certain way

Question 7

Ideologies

Answer 7

‘Proper’ child / childhood
Children as innocent, vulnerable, incompetent
Lacking in experience and knowledge

Question 8

Government

Answer 8

Separate concerns about children, future of society

Children as becomings - qvorteup 1991

Question 9

James and prout

Answer 9

1990
‘Childhood is understood as a social construction’
Not a ‘natural or universal feature of human groups’