In this Book

summary

Being a child in American society can be problematic. Twenty percent of American children live in poverty, parents are divorcing at high rates, and educational institutions are not always fulfilling their goals. Against this backdrop, children are often patronized or idealized by adults. Rarely do we look for the strengths within children that can serve as the foundation for growth and development. In Rethinking Childhood, twenty contributors, coming from the disciplines of anthropology, government, law, psychology, education, religion, philosophy, and sociology, provide a multidisciplinary view of childhood by listening and understanding the ways children shape their own futures. Topics include education, poverty, family life, divorce, neighborhood life, sports, the internet, and legal status. In all these areas, children have both voice and agency. They construct their own social networks and social reality, sort out their own values, and assess and cope with the perplexing world around them. The contributors present ideas that lead not only to new analyses but also to innovative policy applications. 

Taken together, these essays develop a new paradigm for understanding childhood as children experience these years. This paradigm challenges readers to develop fresh ways of listening to children’s voices that enable both children and adults to cross the barriers of age, experience, and stereotyping that make communication difficult.

A volume in the Rutgers Series in Childhood Studies, edited by Myra Bluebond-Langner.

Table of Contents

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  1. Title Page, Copyright, Dedication, Table of Contents
  2. pp. i-viii
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  1. Preface
  2. pp. ix-xi
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  1. Acknowledgments
  2. p. xiii
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  1. Introduction: The Imperative and the Process for Rethinking Childhood
  2. pp. 1-21
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  1. Part I: Children's Voice and Agency
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  1. Chapter 1: Understanding Childhood from an Interdisciplinary Perspective: Problems and Potentials
  2. pp. 25-37
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  1. Chapter 2: Children as Philosophers
  2. pp. 38-53
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  1. Chapter 3: Children as Theologians
  2. pp. 54-68
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  1. Chapter 4: Action, Voice, and Identity in Children’s Lives
  2. pp. 69-84
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  1. Part II: Voice and Agency in Education
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  1. Chapter 5: “Do You Know You Have Worms on Your Pearls?”: Listening to Children’s Voices in the Classroom
  2. pp. 87-103
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  1. Chapter 6: Cultural Integrity and Schooling Outcomes of African American Children from Low-Income Backgrounds
  2. pp. 104-120
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  1. Chapter 7: “We Have These Rules Inside”: The Effects of Exercising Voice in a Children’s Online Forum
  2. pp. 121-137
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  1. Part III: Voice and Agency within Families
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  1. Chapter 8: Advertising and Marketing to Children in the United States
  2. pp. 141-153
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  1. Chapter 9: Children’s Lives in and out of Poverty
  2. pp. 154-169
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  1. Chapter 10: Children of Divorce
  2. pp. 170-188
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  1. Part IV: Voice and Agency in Neighborhoods and Sports
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  1. Chapter 11: Negotiating the Dance: Social Capital from the Perspective of Neighborhood Children and Adults
  2. pp. 191-206
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  1. Chapter 12: Are We Having Fun Yet?
  2. pp. 207-225
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  1. Part V: Voice and Agency as Legal Rights
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  1. Chapter 13: Re-Visioning Rights for Children
  2. pp. 229-243
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  1. Chapter 14: Recognizing the Roots: Children's Identity Rights
  2. pp. 244-261
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  1. Resources for Further Research: A Road Map for Surfing the Internet
  2. pp. 263-274
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  1. Contributors
  2. pp. 275-278
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  1. Index
  2. pp. 279-292
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