[with Doris Bühler-Niederberger] Rethinking the sociology of childhood: conflict, competition and cooperation between children and adults in contemporary social life (original) (raw)

As the social construction and experience of childhood has developed into the 21st century, sociological studies of childhood have correspondingly become more extensive, differentiated and conceptually complex. The sociology of childhood now draws on an ever-expanding array of theoretical approaches, deals with a constantly broadening set of empirical concerns, and is of growing relevance to an increasing number of sociological fields. This paper takes stock of the current state of the sociology of childhood by identifying its potential to organize itself around the concepts of conflict, competition and cooperation. It outlines the ways in which these three concepts run through sociological studies of childhood today in connection with relations among children as well as between children and adults and reflects on the future directions likely to be taken by sociological examinations of childhood as a specific research question. It argues that there is a key role to be played by the development of an approach which integrates these three concepts, and sets out a proposal for the structuring of theory and research in the sociology of childhood which takes some useful steps towards such a perspective.