The landmark work on the social significance of childhood. The original and vastly influential ideas of Erik H. Erikson underlie much of our understanding of human development. His insights into the interdependence of the individuals' growth and historical change, his now-famous concepts of identity, growth, and the life cycle, have changed the way we perceive ourselves and society. Widely read and cited, his works have won numerous awards including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Combining the insights of clinical psychoanalysis with a new approach to cultural anthropology, Childhood and Society deals with the relationships between childhood training and cultural accomplishment, analyzing the infantile and the mature, the modern and the archaic elements in human motivation. It was hailed upon its first publication as "a rare and living combination of European and American thought in the human sciences" (Margaret Mead, The American Scholar). Translated into numerous foreign languages, it has gone on to become a classic in the study of the social significance of childhood.

The landmark work on the social significance of childhood.

With this deeply influential book, which is now internationally recognised as a classic study of childhood and its social significance, Professor Erikson has made an outstanding contribution to the study of human behaviour. Drawing on psychoanalytical theory and his own clinical experience, he devotes the main chapters to anxiety in young children, apathy in American Indians, confusion in veterans of war, and arrogance in young Nazis.

Bringing together two topics of wide and growing sociological interest, The Body, Childhood and Society examines how children's bodies are constructed in schools, families, courts, hospitals and in film. Recognising that children's bodies are a target for adult practices of social regulation, the contributors show that children are also active in their construction, employ them in resistance and social action, and generate their own meanings about them. The editor, a leading sociologist of childhood, draws out the theoretical implications of this work, indicates the limits of social constructionism, and suggests new ways of thinking about the hybrid of material, discursive and collective processes involved. It will be a valuable text for social scientists interested in the body, childhood, schooling, the law, medicine and health.

Childhood can only be understood in relation to the multitude of social factors which surround it. This book is written for students doing degrees and foundation degrees in Early Years, Early Childhood Studies and related disciplines. It offers an introduction to the study of childhood and the different contexts within which childhood exists. The text encourages you to re-think childhood, exploring childhood from different contexts - from the child within the family, to the global perspective and the child′s own perspective. It enables you to begin to understand childhood in relation to society and to develop the skills to look at childhood from a critical standpoint. This Third Edition includes a new chapter on ′The Evolution of Early Years Provision′ adding essential context to the current situation. It has been updated in line with recent changes in the Early Years sector and includes some critical examination of the new Baseline Assessment.

* What happens to childhood when the nature of adulthood becomes uncertain? * What impact is globalization having on adult-child relationships? * How are we to study 'growing up' today? Traditionally, children and adults have been treated as different kinds of person, with adults seen as complete, stable and self-controlling, and children seen as incomplete, changeable and in need of control. This ground-breaking book argues that in the early twenty-first century, 'growing up' can no longer be understood as a movement toward personal completion and stability. Careers, intimate relationships, even identities, are increasingly provisional, bringing into question the division between the mature and the immature and thereby differences between adults and children. Childhood and Society charts the emergence of the conceptual and institutional divisions between adult 'human beings' and child 'human becomings' over the course of the modern era. It then examines the contemporary economic and ideological trends that are eroding the foundations of these divisions. The consequences of this age of uncertainty are examined through an assessment of sociological theories of childhood and through a survey of children's varied positions in a globalizing and highly mediated social world. In all, this accessible text provides a clear, up-to-date and original insight into the sociological study of childhood for undergraduates and researchers alike. It also develops a new set of conceptual tools for studying 'growing up'.

Erik H. Erikson's remarkable insights into the relationship of life history and history began with observations on a central stage of life: identity development in adolescence. This book collects three early papers that—along with Childhood and Society—many consider the best introduction to Erikson's theories. "Ego Development and Historical Change" is a selection of extensive notes in which Erikson first undertook to relate to each other observations on groups studied on field trips and on children studied longitudinally and clinically. These notes are representative of the source material used for Childhood and Society. "Growth and Crises of the Health Personality" takes Erikson beyond adolescence, into the critical stages of the whole life cycle. In the third and last essay, Erikson deals with "The Problem of Ego Identity" successively from biographical, clinical, and social points of view—all dimensions later pursued separately in his work.

The new edition of this established core textbook continues to give an insightful, authoritative and accessible overview of competing theoretical positions on the sociological study of childhood. The book explores the ways these theories inform key themes, including education, work, identity and agency. The study of childhood has taken on an increasingly global focus in recent years, honing in on how issues of rights, protection and development shape the lives of children and those around them at political, social and institutional levels across the world. As a result, this book guides students through the theories and research on childhood in both local and global contexts. Author Michael Wyness clearly illustrates how a study of childhood can inform sociological thinking on social crises, changes and problems such as globalisation, criminality and disruption of the social order. Written for students exploring childhood from a sociological perspective, this is the essential introduction to the topic. 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.

Where can we draw the line between childhood and adulthood? To what extent is childhood a social construction? How do children make sense of their own social worlds? And do children have control over their social environments? Childhood and Society 2e explores these questions and key sociological debates to provide a thorough introduction to the sociology of childhood. The second edition takes account of cutting edge research and shows how contemporary practices are impacting on childhood in today's world. In particular, the book: • Gives clear guidance on how children have been, and continue to be, theorized • Shows how technology shapes children's play, communication and cultures • Discusses international case studies that reflect on childhood in a global age • Assesses the ethical and methodological issues in researching children's lives • Includes a new chapter on child labour, reflecting on the relationship between work and schooling With fresh insights into research, theory and policy, this text takes a truly global view on controversial issues in the field, from poverty and children's rights to the media and consumerism. It is an indispensable text for students of sociology, childhood studies, education and social policy.