Peer-reviewed article
Tracing the contribution of childhood studies: Maintaining momentum while navigating tensions
Antonia Canosa, Anne P. Graham ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a scoping review of childhood studies scholarship published between 2010 and 2018, tracing theoretical developments in the field. The article explores how the discipline has evolved beyond its foundational ideas and identifies emerging tensions within childhood studies. It is a meta-analysis of scholarly literature rather than an evaluation of interventions or evidence about children's well-being outcomes.
Key points
- The review covers peer-reviewed journals and books from 2010-2018
- It traces theoretical developments within childhood studies
- The article identifies emerging tensions in the field
- Focus is on how the field has moved beyond early foundational tenets
Limitations
This is a theoretical review of the childhood studies field itself, not an empirical study of children's well-being or an evaluation of interventions. It cannot provide evidence about what actually improves children's lives or outcomes.
Abstract
Over recent decades, the evolving field of childhood studies has contributed significantly to the theorisation of childhood and to research seeking to understand children’s lives and experiences in different contexts. This article traces some of the key theoretical developments within childhood studies by means of a scoping study of peer-reviewed, scholarly journals and books published between 2010 and 2018. The aim of the review was to explore the theoretical and empirical contributions of childhood studies beyond its early foundational tenets. A number of emerging tensions were identified and these are explored in this article.