Topic 2 - Childhood Flashcards
What is the western notion of childhood?
Pilcher
The most important feature of the modern idea of childhood is separateness
Childhood is a clear, distinct, stage of life
Children occupy a separate status from adults
Eg; laws regulating what children are allowed, required and forbidden
Childhood is a golden age of happinesss and innocence, however this innocence means children are seen as vulnerable and are in need of protection from the dangers posed by the adult world so they are kept safe from it
Children’s lives are largely lived through the sphere of family and education whereas adults provide for them on the outside world
What was childhood like in the Middle Ages?
Aries
Middle Ages, the idea of childhood did not exist, children were not seen as having different needs from adults. Children entered society on the same terms as an adult, beginning work from an early age often in the household of another family,
Children were mini adults which the same rights, duties and skills as adults. For example, the law made no distinction between children and adults with children often facing the same punishments as adults
Who supports the idea that the Middle Ages had a different perception towards childhood?
Shorter
High death rates in the middle century encouraged an attitude of indifference and neglect towards children and especially infants
For example, it was not uncommon for parents to give a newborn baby the name of a recently dead sibling, refer to the baby as ‘it’ or forget how many children they had
What are some cross cultural differences between childhood?
Malinowski - children’s sexual behaviour is often viewed differently, for example Tronriand islanders of the south west pacific found that adults took an attitude of tolerance and amused interest towards children’s sexual explorations and activities
How can it be argued that childhood is disappearing?
Postman
Argues that childhood is disappearing at a dazzling speed, argues there is a trend towards giving children the same rights as adults, the disappearance of children’s traditional unsupervised games, the growth of similarity between children’s and adults clothing and even to the cases of children committing adult crimes such as murder
What is the information hierarchy and how does it show childhood is disappearing?
Postman
Childhood emerged as a seperate status along with mass literacy from the 19th century
This is because the printed word creates an information hierarchy, a sharp division between adults who can read, and children who cannot
This gave adults more knowledge to keep about sex, money, illness and violence and other adult matters to keep a secret away from children
However television blurs the distinction between childhood and adulthood by destroying the information hierarchy, the tv does not require special skills to access it making the information available to adults and children, the boundary between adults and children is broken down and the innocence and ignorance of childhood is replaced by knowledge and cynicism
Eval for childhood is disappearing?
Opie
Argues that childhood is not disappearing. Based on research into children’s unsupervised games, rhymes and songs conducted she argues there is strong evidence of the continued existence of a seperate children’s culture over many years
How is childhood changing rather than disappearing?
Jenks
Childhood is undergoing change as society moves from modernity to postmodernity
In modern society, adults relationships were more stable but in postmodern society, the pace of change speeds up and relationships become more unstable for example divorce much more common
This generates feelings of insecurity, so adults become more fearful for their children’s security and even more preoccupied in protecting them from dangers such as child abuse
Children are vulnerable and need protection
How has the position of children improved?
Aries and shorter
Hold a march of progress view and argue that in todays society, children are more valued, better cared for and more protected and educated and have better health and have more rights then children of previous generations
For example children today are protected against exploitation by laws against child abuse and neglect
Government invests large amounts of money towards children’s education
How has childhood not improved and instead become toxics?
Palmer
Rapid technological and cultural changes in the last 25 years have damaged children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development. These changes range from junk food, computer games and intensive marketing towards children to long hours worked by parents and growing emphasis on testing inn education
Eval for childhood becoming more toxic?
According to gov.uk website in 2024 nearly 400,000 children were classed as in need, around 1 in every 30 children and nearly 50,000 were on child protection plans
What inequalities are there between children and adults?
Holt & Firestone
Many things much of progress see as care and protection are just new forms of control and oppression
For example, protection from paid work is not a benefit for children but segregates them from wider society, making them more dependent and powerless and therefore subject to adult control
