Why have generational orderings been marginalised in the social sciences including childhood studies?

Abstract

This paper considers why age and generation tend not to be recognised as social variables in the same way that gender, ethnicity and class are mainstreamed within Social Science disciplines. It questions why the concept of the generational order is not always integral to either Childhood Studies or the related sub-disciplines, such as Children's Geographies. It begins from a starting point that Childhood Studies is generally a multi-disciplinary field but seems stuck from moving forward conceptually. The politics of Childhood Studies can result in sub-disciplinary silos rather than working in a more interdisciplinary way. The politics of childhood in society have progressed in terms of children's rights and participation yet the theoretical development of children's agency has been stuck. The paper discusses the lack of extensive empirical investigation of the generational order, suggesting that 'generational orderings' may be a more dynamic way to engage with processes of generationing.

How Do Disadvantaged Children Perceive, Understand and Experience Household Food Insecurity?

“…These accounts underline that food or lack of food is a relational issue and suggest that attempts to address this issue must acknowledge children's awareness of how food insecurity impacts not just themselves but those around them. Our findings are also significant in that they demonstrate the importance of considering how age and intergenerational relations are a significant social variable [33] that shape the ways in which food insecurity is experienced. In this study, we saw evidence that the modern nuclear family is no longer "typical" [47] (p. 109), which influences the ways in which children and families navigate food insecurity.…”

“…There is an established body of childhood studies research that demonstrates the ways in which children enact agency in their day to day lives [31,32]. Yet, Punch argues that there is limited exploration of age or generation as a social variable in the same way that gender, race, and class have been theorised in relation to experiences of social issues [33]. Children's food practices are 'culturally and historically located' and need to be understood in the context of 'ongoing structuring and restructuring of the everyday social relations that take place between adults and children' [34] (p. 7).…”

“Our Generation…” Aspiration, Desire, and Generation as Discourse Among Highly Educated, Portuguese, Post-austerity Migrants in London

“…4 Cecilia's speech, body language, and reactions to the world around her always conveyed confidence and aspirations for the future. Specifically, aspirations to one day embody the symbolic capital required to be distinct and 'different' from those around her (Bourdieu 1984;Prazeres 2019). Such narratives were very much in the singular and focused on herself as an individual.…”

“…In childhood and youth studies, the concept of generation has largely been used to analytically account for youth in relation to other age-based groupings as well as in relation to larger processes of continuity and change (e.g. Cole 2004 ; Edmunds and Turner 2005 ; Huijsmans 2016 ; Punch 2020 ). However, much less attention has been paid to how the idea of generation is understood and mobilised by young people themselves in their subjective self-positioning vis-à-vis their own and other age-based groupings and how through these dynamics certain sets of aspirations are produced, maintained, or reworked.…”

Beyond ‘developmentalism’: A relational and embodied approach to young children's development

“…In a recent discussion, Punch (2019) has argued that though Childhood Studies is a multidisciplinary field more could be done to develop existing theoretical and conceptual frameworks. According to James (2010) it has reached a crossroads in its development because of the competing paradigms that are now being pursued.…”