Rethinking Child Welfare and Emigration Institutions, 1870–1914

‘A troublesome girl is pushed through’: Morality, biological determinism, resistance, resilience, and the Canadian child migration schemes, 1883–1939

“…A letter from 1888 referred to the possibility of emigration to Canada, but this was eventually dismissed, because she was 'disobedient and untruthful', 'inherently idle', and 'not quite all there it seems'. 5 While some children on the surface appeared to adjust and showed 'strength of character' in light of the challenges they faced, other children expressed resistance to emigration by being hard to manage (Moss et al, 2017;Moss, Wildman, and Lamont, 2020). It could be argued that the 'disobedient and untruthful' behaviour of the girl in the example above falls into the latter category and could be seen as a strategy of resistance in light of her having few means and methods of recourse.…”

“…It could be argued, however, that resilient young people take advantage of whatever opportunities and resources are available to them, even those considered, on the surface, negative or destructive (Sims-Schouten, 2020; Ungar, 2002). The latter could be seen as strategies of resistance in light of having few means and methods of recourse (Moss et al, 2017;Moss, Wildman, and Lamont, 2020).…”

“…Discussions of resilience, self-help, and character are typically framed with reference to risk, vulnerability, and protective factors (Smiles, 1871;Ungar, 2005;Werner and Smith, 1982). Yet in narratives and perceptions around 'troubled children', as can be seen from the analysis above, it was their behaviour that was being judged, and their capacity to develop resilience or resistance within this was not recognised (Moss et al, 2017;Moss, Wildman, and Lamont, 2020;Sims-Schouten and Riley, 2018;Sims-Schouten, Skinner, and Rivett, 2019).…”

“…Luthar, Cicchetti, and Becker, 2000;Sims-Schouten and Edwards, 2016). While some children and young people who were included in the child migration schemes on the surface appeared to adjust and showed 'strength of character' in light of the challenges faced, other children expressed resistance towards emigration by running away and being hard to manage (Moss et al, 2017). 'Strength of character', compliance, and resistance could be explained and analysed in light of 'self-help', 'character', and 'resilience' (Smiles, 1859(Smiles, , 1871Ungar, 2002Ungar, , 2004 and can be used as tools for understanding the outcomes of the processes and use of decision-making by child rescue charities and schemes.…”

“…Drawing on critical realist ontology, a metatheory that centralises the causal non-linear dynamics and generative mechanisms in the individual, the cultural sphere, and wider society, the study starts from the premise that the principle of ‘less or more eligibility’ lies at the heart of the British welfare system, both now and historically (Bhaskar, 1989, 2014; Sims-Schouten, Riley, and Willig, 2007). Critical realism provides insight into oppression, inequality, and uneven practices through the search for generative mechanisms and causal factors that, combined, may have created a phenomenon over time and thus influenced particular outcomes and practices (Mutch, 2014; Sims-Schouten, Skinner, and Rivett, 2019; Wilson, 2020). As a result, it stimulates the drive to gain insight into the quandary between three structural concepts (Chauhan and Foster, 2014): ‘absence’ (under-representation, underprivilege, and what is missing in a context or institution/organisation, highlighting a possible need for a critical focus), ‘difference’ (stigmatic labelling, e.g.…”