Summary
Contents
This book has already proved itself as a course adoption leader in Childhood Studies. All of the strengths of the First Edition have been retained. The book is comprehensive and judged with the needs of students in mind. It is a model of clarity and precision and has been acknowledged as such in reviews and course feedback. The new edition thoroughly revises old entries and adds new ones. The book is the most accessible, relevant student introduction to this expanding, interdisciplinary field. It is an indispensable teaching text and an ideal prompt for researchers.
Standpoint
Standpoint
The structural context within which children's experiences and perspectives should be understood as shaped by power relations.
Standpoint theory, as used within childhood studies, has its roots in the feminist critique of sociology. This argued that many sociological concepts and theories had been developed from the point of view of men and that, because of this, women's experiences of the world have often been undervalued or misrepresented. This led to the politicisation of women's experiences and enabled women to challenge the status quo of masculine power within the social order. For some sociologists of childhood, therefore, the lessons of standpoint theory offer a useful way to reposition children within the social order by acknowledging their subordinate position vis-à-vis adults, to be understood in terms of generation. ...
