An Introduction to Childhood
by
Heather Montgomery
Examines the role children have played within anthropology, how they have been studied by anthropologists and how they have been portrayed and analyzed in ethnographic monographs over the last 150 years. This title offers a comprehensive overview of childhood from an anthropological perspective. It also features illustrative ethnographies.
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Complete description
In "An Introduction to Childhood", Heather Montgomery examines the role children have played within anthropology, how they have been studied by anthropologists and how they have been portrayed and analyzed in ethnographic monographs over the last one hundred and fifty years. It offers a comprehensive overview of childhood from an anthropological perspective. It draws upon a wide range of examples and evidence from different geographical areas and belief systems. It synthesizes existing literature on the anthropology of childhood, while providing a fresh perspective. It engages students with illustrative ethnographies to illuminate key topics and themes.
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General info
Publisher & Imprint:
Wiley-Blackwell (an imprint of John Wiley & Sons Ltd)
City:
Chicester
Pages:
296
More info:
height 230 mm
width 151 mm
weight 464 gr
thickness 23 mm
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Age recommended:
College/higher education
Subject Indexing & Classification
Dewey: 305.23
Library of Congress Subject: Child rearing
Summary
An Introduction to Childhood
Acknowledgments.Introduction.1. Childhood within Anthropology.Introduction.Children: The First Primitives.Culture and Personality.Cross-Cultural Studies of Child-Rearing.Children in British Anthropology.The Gendered Child.Child-Centered Anthropology.Conclusion.2. What is a Child?.Introduction.Childhood as a Modern Idea: The Influence of Philippe Aries.Conceptualizations of Childhood.Children as Incompetent or Subordinate.Children as Equals.Children as a Means of Forming Families and Giving StatusChildren as an Economic Investment.Unwanted and Nonhuman Children.Conclusion.3. The Beginning of Childhood.Introduction.Fetuses.Spirit Children.Reincarnation.Anomalies.Conclusion.4. Family, Friends, and Peers.Introduction.The Role of Parents.Adoption and Fosterage.Children outside the Family.Siblings.Friends and Peer Groups.Conclusion.5. Talking, Playing, and Working.Introduction.Learning Language.Children and Play.Work or Play?.Conclusion.6. Discipline, Punishment, and Abuse.Introduction.Discipline and Punishment in the Western Tradition.Physical Punishment.Alternatives to Physical Punishment.Who Can Punish Children?.Child Abuse.Conclusion.7. Children and Sexuality.Introduction.Anthropology, Sexuality, and Childhood.Children and Sex: The Influence of Freud.Incest and Abuse.Ethnographies of Children and Sexuality.Child Prostitution.Conclusion.8. Adolescence and Initiation.Introduction.What is Adolescence?.Adolescence and Globalization.Initiation.Initiation: A Psychological Approach.Initiation and Education.Initiation and Gender.Initiation: The End of Childhood?.Conclusion.Conclusion.Bibliography.Index
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