Children as Political Subjects

Children are routinely overlooked in discussions of politics. If they are mentioned, it is as passive ‘objects’ of politics rather than active ‘subjects’. This applies equally in the political arena itself, probably in ordinary discourse and certainly in academic texts. A brief review of standard works on political theory shows that children are rarely mentioned at all, and that when they are, it is almost always as objects of adult concern or as burdens on adults. Occasionally, the possibility that they might be considered as political agents is briefly considered, only to be quickly dismissed. In actual political debate, policies that directly affect children are frequently matters of great public [Page 409]concern, often dominating the front pages of newspapers. Education, child health, child poverty, child ...