Picturing Childhood

(Re)Positioning the Child in the Policy/Politics of Early Childhood

“…As the notion of childhood as a socially constructed phenomenon has established itself over the past decade, a literature has emerged that explains and interrogates dominant images and understandings (Holland, 1992; 2004) their consequent meanings in social practice (James & Prout, 1990; James, Jenks & Prout, 1999) and their implications for the field of early childhood (Dahlberg, Moss & Pence 1999; Woodrow, 1999; Woodrow & Brennan, 2001). We have come to understand some of the ways economic and social trends and flows significantly affect the way early childhood is thought about and how these influence policy and practice (Press & Woodrow, 2005).…”

Beyond Social Constructionism: A Structural Analysis of the Cultural Significance of the Child Star

“…For example, in her study of Victorian child acrobats,Steedman (1995) explores the way in which they became a symbolic vehicle, used to articulate ideas about child nurture and cruel and improper parental treatment. In a similar vein,Holland (2004) traces the symbolic significance of images of the child over the 20th century which have reflected a ‘re‐evaluation of children’s place in society as well as…adults’ changing attitudes to children’. The long history of research which analyses the figure of the child in film (e.g.…”

“…This recognition of childhood as having universal elements has also been translated into empirical research by cultural theorists such as Steedman (1995) and Holland (2004), who have focused on the recurrent symbolic significance of the image of the child throughout changing cultural, social and historical contexts. For example, in her study of Victorian child acrobats,Steedman (1995) explores the way in which they became a symbolic vehicle, used to articulate ideas about child nurture and cruel and improper parental treatment.…”

Moral Crusades in an Age of Mistrust: The Jimmy Savile Scandal By Frank Furedi, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. 118 pp. ISBN: 978-1-137-33801-3, £24.99 hardback.

“…Real children suffer in many different ways and for many different reasons, but pictures of sorrowing children reinforce the defining characteristics of childhood – dependence and powerlessness. Pathetic images of children create a desired image in which childhood is no longer a threat and adults are back in control .’ (2004, p. 143, emphasis added) The distinction between real children and childhood is critical here, as it is in Furedi's analysis. But whereas Holland emphasises the impact on the status of children, for Furedi it is the status of adults that is at stake.…”

“…Real children suffer in many different ways and for many different reasons, but pictures of sorrowing children reinforce the defining characteristics of childhood – dependence and powerlessness. Pathetic images of children create a desired image in which childhood is no longer a threat and adults are back in control .’ (2004, p. 143, emphasis added)…”