Girlhood Studies

Girlhood studies is a multidisciplinary field of inquiry into the lives, experiences, and cultural practices of people who identify as girls, as well as an examination of how girls are discussed and represented in popular and academic venues. It draws from and informs diverse disciplines, such as education, psychology, sociology, history, literary studies, cultural studies, and media studies, and is often framed by feminist theories and methodologies. As girl is a broad, contested, and diverse term that is intersected by gender, race, class, sexuality, age, and nationhood, girlhood studies scholars focus on contextualizing girlhoods across time periods, regions, and identity categories in order to move away from a universal, dehistoricized understanding of the girl. Girlhood studies scholars have also sought to increase awareness of girls ...