News

What can Childhood Studies add to Policy and Practice?

Kay Tisdall, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland

How we conceptualise children and childhood matters. It impacts what we study, how we study it and our conclusions; it also permeates how we form and deliver policy and practice. This presentation will review the legacy of childhood studies’ foundational ideas -- that childhood is socially constructed and that children are social actors in their own right -- and subsequent debates around agency, materiality and intergenerational relations. It will consider how such ideas are not only of conceptual interest but have very practical implications, using examples in such areas as children’s activism, children’s rights and children’s wellbeing. The presentation will end by exploring current challenges and opportunities to further develop childhood studies, from decolonization to childism, to consider the future for childhood studies and its implications for policy and practice.

Theorizing Global Childhoods: Philosophies, Theories, and Practice

Marek Tesar, The University of Auckland, New Zealand

This keynote presentation explores the concept of global childhoods and investigates the various philosophies, theories, pedagogies, and methodologies that influence this field. It delves into both global and local discourses surrounding childhood experiences and critically examines the contemporary challenges and opportunities faced by scholars and practitioners engaged in the study of global childhoods. By analyzing the complex interplay between global and local factors, this presentation integrates diverse perspectives and approaches within this area of research, including the relations between Global North and Global South scholarship. The keynote presentation builds on both traditional childhood studies scholarship and posthuman perspectives, and merges scholarship and activism. Its aim is to stimulate dialogue and reflection on the evolving nature of childhoods in a globalized world, encouraging scholars to consider the implications of their work and the potential for positive change in shaping the lives of children worldwide.