Generational Approach

Some childhood theorists suggest that generation is a crucial element of social structure bound to other structural variables such as class, gender, and ethnicity, and while sociology has paid significant attention to these latter variables, a focus on the generational order demands further attention. By positioning childhood as part of a wider structural order, generation illuminates the nature of that order and sheds light on the social relationships that comprise it. This entry outlines the work of core thinkers on generation and illuminates how their work positions children as a group influenced by durable power relations based on generation.