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The Sociology of Childhood
Fifth Edition
- William A. Corsaro - Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
June 2017 | 504 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
William A. Corsaro's groundbreaking work, The Sociology of Childhood, Fifth Edition discusses children and childhood from a sociological perspective - providing in-depth coverage of social theories of childhood, the peer cultures and social issues of children and youth, and children and childhood within the frameworks of culture and history.
Preface
About the Author
PART ONE: THE SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF CHILDHOOD
1. Social Theories of Childhood
Sociology’s Rediscovery of Childhood
Traditional Theories: Socialization
Interpretive Reproduction: Children Collectively Participate in Society
Language and Cultural Routines
From Individual Progression to Collective Reproductions
Summary
2. The Structure of Childhood and Children’s Interpretive Reproductions
Assumptions of the Structural Perspective
Childhood, Children’s Activities, and Interpretive Reproduction in Peer Culture
Summary
3. Studying Children and Childhood
Macrolevel Methods
Microlevel Methods
Nontraditional Methods in Studying Children
Ethical Issues in Researching Children’s Lives
Summary
PART II. CHILDREN, CHILDHOOD AND FAMILIES IN HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
4. Historical Views of Childhood and Children
Philippe Ariès’s Centuries of Childhood
The Debate Regarding Grand-Stage Theories of the Family and Childhood
The New History of Childhood
Summary
5. Social Change, Families and Children
Examining Changes in Families From the Children’s Perspective
Children’s Everyday Lives in Families
The Effects of Recent Socioeconomic Changes on Families, Children, and Childhood in Western Societies
The Effects of Recent Socioeconomic Changes on Children and Childhood in Developing Societies
Summary
PART III. CHILDREN'S CULTURES
6. Children’s Peer Cultures and Interpretive Reproduction
Examining Peer Culture from Children’s Perspective
Central Importance of Peer Culture in Interpretive Reproduction
Symbolic Aspects of Children's Cultures
Material Aspects of Children’s Cultures
Children, Parents, and Consumer Culture
Summary
7. Sharing and Control in Initial Peer Cultures
Central Themes in Children’s Initial Peer Cultures
Friendship, Sharing, and Social Participation
Autonomy and Control in Peer Culture
Summary
8. Conflict and Differentiation in the Initial Peer Culture
Conflict and Peer Relations
Social Differentiation in Initial Peer Cultures
Summary
9. Pre-Adolescent Peer Cultures
Peer Cultures in Preadolescence
Friendship Processes in Preadolescent Peer Cultures
Autonomy and Identity in Preadolescent Peer Cultures
Disputes, Conflict, Friendships, and Gender
Generation M: Electronic Media in the Lives of Preadolescents and Adolescents
Effects and Process of Media Use in the Lives of Preadolescents and Adolescents
Summary
PART IV. CHILDREN, SOCIAL PROBLEMS, AND THE FUTURE OF CHILDHOOD
10. Children, Social Problems, and the Family
Changing Family Structures and Children's Lives
Work, Families, and Childhood
Divorce and Its Effects on Children
Child Abuse in the Family
Summary
11. Children, Social Problems and Society
Poverty and the Quality of Children’s Lives
Teen Pregnancy and Nonmarital Births
Violence, Victimization, and the Loss of Childhood
The Profound and Inspiring Resilience of Children and Youth in Highly Challenging Life Circumstances
Summary
12. The Future of Childhood
The Major Challenges
Some More Modest Proposals to Enrich Children’s Lives
Conclusion
Glossary
References
Index
“I like the fact that this text makes an in-depth examination of the socially-constructed nature of childhood, and illustrates how this phase of the life course has been defined differently in different time periods, which has impacted the expectations for, responsibilities of, communications with, and valuing of children during different time periods.”
Illinois College
