The place of children among the Guji of southern Ethiopia: school, work and play

Social Constructions of Childhood: From Not-Yet-Adults to People in Their Own Right

“…Play serves as an avenue for establishing certain physical, commutative, and cognitive skills while also acting as an arena for addressing feelings, personal concerns, and uncertainties regarding peer relationships (Evaldsson, 1998;Jirata and Kjørholt, 2015). Issues of race and gender are actively interpreted by children and reproduced through play, language, and lore.…”

“…Black children were found to deploy "he-said-she-said" talk as a mode of navigating conflicts, constructing social order, and negotiating personal identities (Goodwin 1990 (Corsaro, 1997;Valentine 2004;Jirata and Kjørholt, 2015;Paksuniemi et. al., 2015).…”

“…The United Nations has called for all children to enroll in, and complete, primary school (Hunleth et. al., 2014;Jirata and Kjørholt, 2015). Children in rural areas are now being asked to balance school with the domestic labor their families rely on them for.…”

“…Across these studies, it is crucial to note that children continue to play. Children from migrant families in China (Zhang, 2013), farming families among the Guji in Ethiopia (Jirata and Kjørholt, 2015), the far-reaching kinship connections in Zambia (Hunleth et. al., 2014), and the dense urban environment of Hong-Kong (Karsten, 2014), find opportunities for "playful learning" or playful work (Karsten, 2014 …”

“…Work and play are combined and create a space for children to learn local knowledge and solidify their connections to family and friends (Jirata and Kjørholt, 2015;Zhang, 2013). In much of the global south and in rural areas across the globe the domestic renewal labor performed by children is pivotal to the survival of the family (Zhang, 2013).…”