Firmly established as a classic text in the sociological study of childhood, this new edition continues to provide students with an authoritative and accessible overview of the competing theoretical positions that exist in the field and the ways in which they inform key substantive themes including education and work.

• Places emphasis on children's agency and the role they play within the research process.

• Shows how technology shapes children's play, communication and cultures.

• Assesses the ethical and methodological issues in researching children's lives. new_to_this_edition

• A broadened global focus throughout every chapter, including more on the developing world.

• A revised chapter on researching children and childhood.

• An updated critical appraisal of children's rights, as well as new data on child protection and schooling.

• The introduction of new key readings and 'Academic Insights' boxes that explore research on important topics in more detail.

Autorentext

Michael Wyness is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Education Studies, University of Warwick, UK.

Inhalt
Introduction.- PART I: THEORISING AND RESEARCHING CHILDREN AND CHILDHOOD.- 1. The Social Meaning of Childhood.- 2. Theories of Growing Up: Developmentalism and Socialisation Theory.- 3. Childhood and Social Structure.- 4. Children and Childhood in Late Modernity.- 5. Researching Children and Childhood : Methods, Ethics and Politics.- PART II: CHILDREN IN THEIR LOCAL AND GLOBAL CONTEXTS.- 6. Childhood in Crisis: Social Disorder and Reconstruction.- 7. Children, Family and the State: Policing Childhood.- 8. Schooling Children and Childhood.- 9. Children's Work and Labour: The International Context.- 10. Children's Social Worlds: Culture, Play and Technology.- 101. Children: Their Rights and Politics.- 11. Children's Work and Labour: The International Context.- Conclusion.