Institutional, Political and Cultural Challenges in the Studies of Childhood

Institutional, political and cultural challenges in the studies of childhood

Currently, childhood studies constitute an established subarea in the social sciences. However, as this field shows progress in visibility and academic status, there are enormous challenges to be faced as new social, political and economic conditions affect the configuration of childhoods around the world requiring thus, a finer and more complex perspective of childhood theories. Concerns about universality, difference, equality and diversity are points of inflection in theory building, as well as how childhood theories can be socially and relevantly connected to social demands. This session encompasses a range of papers that target at different issues that can represent challenges in the study of children and childhood in different contexts. The impact of globalization processes - and the consequent requirement of academic internationalization of science - consists yet an important challenge in how childhoods in different parts of the world are considered and investigated.