The Concept of Childhood in History and Theory Considered in Relation to Contemporary Debates About Children's Citizenship
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_________________________________________________________________________Swansea University E-Theses The concept of childhood in history and theory considered in relation to contemporary debates about children's citizenship. Milne, Brian How to cite: _________________________________________________________________________ Milne, Brian (2010) The concept of childhood in history and theory considered in relation to contemporary debates about children's citizenship.. thesis, Swansea University. http://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42446 Use policy: _________________________________________________________________________ This item is brought to you by Swansea University. Any person downloading material is agreeing to abide by the terms of the repository licence: copies of full text items may be used or reproduced in any format or medium, without prior permission for personal research or study, educational or non-commercial purposes only. 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Please link to the metadata record in the Swansea University repository, Cronfa (link given in the citation reference above.) http://www.swansea.ac.uk/library/researchsupport/ris-support/ The concept of childhood in history and theory considered in relation to contemporary debates about children’s citizenship Brian Milne Submitted to the University of Wales in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Swansea University 2010 ProQuest Number: 10798154 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10798154 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Summary This research has been carried out on the basis of a quite short and quite simple question:Is the notion of children's citizenship a reality or romanticism? It looks at the status and extent of our knowledge of the position of children over a period of about 2500 years in the past and toward an as yet unpredictable time in the future. In so doing it looks at not only ‘ourselves’ (Western European societies) but other cultures, traditions and beliefs that broaden the question’s base. It considers branches of knowledge such as the social sciences, theology and philosophy. Those disciplines have examined humanity with varying amounts of reference to children or childhood for at least as long as any of them has existed. The choice of methods includes analytic induction, morphological analysis and content analysis cum symptomatic reading. Those choices are governed by the fact that most parts of all data are printed texts. Some of the content is also my own work, partially field based and other parts published texts. Some of my more recent, undocumented field based work has also raised questions that require answers that a work of this nature might provide. This research moves on and away from child participation using a children’s rights based argument toward examination of the relationship o f the child with the state, thus as a potential full member citizen, includingchildren's rights as part o f the broader human rights agenda. In so doing, the conclusions complete research that has taken a course in which the intent before examining evidence was to reach a position that was partly advocacy for full citizenship. The conclusions bearing the weight of historically and geographically widespread data now look at a better informed reality of the possibility of that being realised. Declaration This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree. Signed Date 30 March 2010 Statement 1 This thesis is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is appended. Signed Date 30 March 2010 Statement 2 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. Signed Date 30 March 2010 Contents Acknowledgements Chapter One: Introduction: the children’s citizenship paradigm Chapter Two: Research Design - Methodology and Methods Chapter Three: Citizenship Chapter Four: The emergence of childhood - from the ancient world until the dawn of the Enlightenment Chapter Five: The emergence of childhood - from the Enlightenment to modem world of childhood Chapter Six: Intellectual Discourse, Beliefs, Moral and Ideological Positions on Children from Antiquity until the Present - Children from Antiquity to the High Middle Ages Chapter Seven: Intellectual Discourse, Beliefs, Moral and Ideological Positions on Children from Antiquity until the Present - Early Modem to the Present Chapter Eight: The ‘child sciences, social sciences and childhood studies Chapter Nine: Children’s rights and the contemporary interest in child participation Chapter Ten: Issues concerning the legal status, welfare, policy making and inclusion of children in governance and full citizenship Chapter Eleven: Supplementary areas that contribute to notions of children’s citizenship Chapter Twelve: Conclusion Notes Appendices Bibliography Index Acknowledgements Many people have contributed to this work, usually unknowingly. Among the principal ones I would like to thank for their contribution are Antonella Invemizzi, Judith Ennew, Nigel Cantwell, Manfred Liebel, Jens Qvortrup, Michael Freeman, Henk van Beers and Priscilla Alderson. Each of them has said or written something that struck a particular note or had a very direct influence on how this research developed. Something written, said or inspired by each of them has consequently been included somewhere. Over the years a number of people including Alejandro Cussianovich, Nandana Reddy, Kavita Ratna and Fabrizio Terenzio have been part of relevant and very durable projects or have said something that has taught me a few extremely useful points that are borne in mind in my research. The many others are no less influential but will surely know they are meant if they ever read this work. Many thanks to my external examiner Bob Franklin whose work I admire immensely and whose comments I very much appreciate since they help me take this research forward. I must also thank the internal examiner Tracey Sagar and Kevin Haines for his superb but also gently humorously conductedviva voce chairmanship. Maria Davies is due thanks for her role as administrator responsible for getting examiners, date and myself together. Those thanks are especially due given that the first date was postponed when the most severe winter for several decades was just about at its worst when we should have assembled. However, she quickly rearranged it. Most grateful thanks to my supervisor Peter Raynor. His knowledge of classical philosophy and history were particularly helpful since I began this work with a basic knowledge but almost blind. He often knew where to look. As fortune would have it, he particularly liked parts of this work I enjoyed, but often felt uncertain about. With his support I feel I have a far more rounded knowledge of philosophy, theology and history - at least where any question regarding children and childhood is concerned. Over the last two decades or so I have met many people in a large number of very diverse countries. I would particularly wish to extend thanks to the many people in different parts of Viet Nam, often the poorest and yet amongst the happiest people I have ever met. I have met people and seen things in South America, Central and Southeast Asia and parts of Africa that have allowed me to see the world in a very different way to the that many other individuals are ever able to see. It gave me the ability to appreciate the importance of diversity that I have at least attempted to include in this work. My family too deserve thanks, especially my wife who is also the first mentioned above and with whom I occasionally work and am forever exchanging ideas. There are also our children, Ceri and Daryl, our dogs, Alex (since deceased and much missed) and Placido, and more recently two cats, Coco and Molly, who were always there and provided necessary diversions that gave me space to think in. Chapter One: Introduction: the children’s citizenship paradigm Who is the citizen, and what is the meaning o f the term? For here again there may be a difference of opinion. Aristotle, 1999b:52. This research sets out to examine the question of whether the notion of children’s citizenship is realism or romanticism. The nature of citizenship itself is a question that is often debated rather than resolved and there is no general agreement on a single definition. This research does not attempt to conclude with an unreserved solution. That is something which, like examination of many other social phenomena, requires time but also depends on substantial evidence for change to be facilitated. Then further substantiation needs to be accrued to prove that what may be shown in theory can also be proven by practice. I also wish to avoid hubris. I am acutely aware of comparable arguments against women ever acquiring rights that make them full citizens. Indeed, in some parts of our world that mindset is still the everyday reality for many women.