Childhood

Childhood (being a child) is a broad term usually applied to the phase of development in humans between infancy and adulthood.

Definition

In recent years there has been a rapid growth of interest in the sociological study of childhood. Reaching on a large body of contemporary sociological and anthropological research, people develops key links between the study of childhood and social theory, exploring its historical, political, and cultural dimensions.

History

Philippe Ariès, an important French medievalist and historian, published a study in 1961 of paintings, gravestones, furniture, and school records. He found that before the seventeenth century, children were represented as mini-adults. Since then historians have increasingly begun to research childhood in past times.

Before Ariès, George Boas had published The Cult of Childhood.

Several historical events and period are discussed as relevant to the history of childhood in the West. One such event is the life of Jesus Christ^[1] Christ taught that children were to be loved and revered, a departure from the ancients' attitude to children which was to be propagated in the Roman Empire during the next 400 years with the introduction of Christianity.^{[citation needed]}

During the Renaissance, artistic depictions of children increased dramatically in Europe. This did not impact the social attitude to children much, however -- see the article on child labour.

The Victorian Era has been described as a source of the modern institution of childhood. Ironically, the Industrial Revolution during this era led to an increase in child labour, but due to the campaigning of the Evangelicals, and efforts of author Charles Dickens and others, child labour was gradually reduced and halted in England via the Factory Acts of 1802-1878. The Victorians concomitantly emphasized the role of the family and the sanctity of the child, and broadly speaking, this attitude has remained dominant in Western societies since then.

Today

For the last 100-150 years, childhood in the Western world has been viewed very positively, as one of the happiest phases during a person's existence. However, being a teenager (aged between 13-17) is considered the most stressful time of a person's life. Whilst the 13-17 year old is still legally a child but has partly grown up, these teenagers are denied many priviliges such as voting. Since the matured person is denied the privilege to vote, they are ignored by politicians and are therefore condemned to years of discrimination.

Further reading

• David Buckingham, After the Death of Childhood: Growing Up in the Age of Electronic Media, Blackwell Publishers, 2000, ISBN 0745619339
• Shirley R. Steinberg and Joe L. Kincheloe, Kinderculture: The Corporate Construction of Childhood, Westview Press Inc.,U.S., 2004, ISBN 081339157

See also

• List of child related articles

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