And where is the child?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33910/2687-0223-2022-4-3-203-209

Keywords:

childhood, childhood research, participating approach, sociology of childhood

Abstract

The world of childhood is already represented in a fairly large number of sociological and interdisciplinary studies. But we still cannot answer the question – what makes children children? The concept of “childish” continues to be “invisible”, just as before the era of the new sociology of childhood.

Expert knowledge is formed based on adult interpretations of the world of children. Childishness is lost in a set of empirical variables, abstract conclusions, requirements for objectivity and standardization, and lists of quotes. As a result, we see an adult who is interested in himself.

We begin to tell the story of the search for a child from a presentation at a conference (November 2021) where we presented the results of a sociological study of children performed in the methodological framework of the participating approach. Teenage co-investigators conducted interviews with peers on the topic of video blogging. During the work, the teenagers spontaneously selected respondents and creatively transformed questions.

As a result, many aspects of the work were implemented in a very different way compared to what professional sociologists do. And the analysis of this “different way” yields the most interesting results. On the one hand, there is an expert assessment of the correctness or incorrectness of compliance with standard procedures. On the other hand, it turns out that the children’s approach opened up a new perspective that the researchers had not put into the original plan.

The article presents a reflection on the reasons why “childishness” eludes us and on the attempts to find ways to let it manifest itself. The authors propose shifting the focus to activity as a “process”, thereby avoiding the focus on obtaining a certain result, giving the child the freedom to make a decision at each stage of the study.

References

ЛИТЕРАТУРА

Дуденкова, И. (2014) «Детский вопрос» в социологии: между нормативностью и автономией. Социология власти, № 3, с. 47–59.

Хуснутдинова, М. Р. (2019) Исследование дошкольников: опыт реализации участвующего подхода студентами. В кн.: А. Г. Филипова (ред.). Участие детей в решении вопросов, затрагивающих их интересы: современное состояние, проблемы и перспективы: материалы Международной научной конференции. СПб.: Астерион, с. 118–123.

Corsaro, W. A. (2005) Collective action and agency in young children’s peer cultures. In: J. Qvortrup (ed.). Studies in modern childhood: Society, agency, culture. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publ., pp. 231–247. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230504929_14

Frønes, I. (2005) Structuration of childhood: An essay on the structuring of childhood and anticipatory socialization. In: J. Qvortrup (ed.). Studies in modern childhood: Society, agency, culture. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publ., pp. 267–282. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230504929_16

Gallagher, M. (2008) ‘Power is not an evil’: Rethinking power in participatory methods. Children’s Geographies, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 137–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733280801963045

Hunleth, J. (2011) Beyond on or with: Questioning power dynamics and knowledge production in ‘child-oriented’ research methodology. Childhood, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 81–93. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568210371234

Punch, S. (2002) Research with children: The same or different from research with adults? Childhood, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 321–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568202009003005

Spyrou, S. (2018) Disclosing childhoods. Research and knowledge production for a critical childhood studies. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publ., 241 p.

Taylor, A. (2011) Reconceptualizing the ‘nature’ of childhood. Childhood, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 420–433. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568211404951

Woodhead, M. (2009) Child development and the development of childhood. In: J. Qvortrup, W. A. Corsaro, M.-S. Honig (eds.). The Palgrave handbook of childhood studies. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publ., pp. 46–61.

REFERENCES

Corsaro, W. A. (2005) Collective action and agency in young children’s peer cultures. In: J. Qvortrup (ed.). Studies in modern childhood: Society, agency, culture. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publ., pp. 231–247. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230504929_14 (In English)

Dudenkova, I. (2014) “Detskij vopros” v sotsiologii: mezhdu normativnost’yu i avtonomiej [“Children’s question” in sociology: Between a normativity and an autonomy]. Sotsiologiya vlasti — Sociology of Power, vol. 3, pp. 47–59. (In Russian)

Frønes, I. (2005) Structuration of childhood: An essay on the structuring of childhood and anticipatory socialization. In: J. Qvortrup (ed.). Studies in modern childhood: Society, agency, culture. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publ., pp. 267–282. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230504929_16 (In English)

Gallagher, M. (2008) ‘Power is not an evil’: Rethinking power in participatory methods. Children’s Geographies, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 137–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733280801963045 (In English)

Hunleth, J. (2011). Beyond on or with: Questioning power dynamics and knowledge production in ‘child-oriented’ research methodology. Childhood, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 81–93. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568210371234 (In English)

Husnutdinova, M. R. (2019) Issledovanie doshkol’nikov: opyt realizatsii uchastvuyushchego podkhoda studentami [Preschoolers study: Student experience of participating approach]. In: A. G. Filipova (ed.). Uchastie detej v reshenii voprosov, zatragivayushchikh ikh interesy: sovremennoe sostoyanie, problemy i perspektivy: materialy Mezhdunarodnoj nauchnoj konferentsii [Participation of children in solving issues affecting their interests: Current state, problems and prospects: Proceedings of the International scientific conference]. Saint Petersburg: Asterion Publ., pp. 118–123. (In Russian)

Punch, S. (2002) Research with children: The same or different from research with adults? Childhood, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 321–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568202009003005 (In English)

Spyrou, S. (2018) Disclosing childhoods. Research and knowledge production for a critical childhood studies. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publ., 241 p. (In English)

Taylor, A. (2011) Reconceptualizing the ‘nature’ of childhood. Childhood, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 420–433. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568211404951 (In English)

Woodhead, M. (2009) Child development and the development of childhood. In: J. Qvortrup, W. A. Corsaro, M.-S. Honig (eds.). The Palgrave handbook of childhood studies. London: Palgrave Macmillan Publ., pp. 46–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-27468-6_4

Published

2022-11-30

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