The Sociology of Childhood by William Corsaro

One of the most significant texts on the sociology of childhood is William A. Corsaro's The Sociology of Childhood.

In this book, he argues two major points:

A. "...Children are active, creative social agents who produce their own unique children's cultures while simultaneously contributing to the production of adult societies.

B. Childhood - that socially constructed period in which children live their lives - is a structural form... we mean it is a category or a part of society, like social class and age groups. In this sense children are members or incumbents of their childhoods.

For the children themselves, childhood is a temporary period.

For society, on the other hand, childhood is a permanent structure form or category that never disappears even though its members change continuously and its nature and conception vary historically." (Corsaro, p.3)

Chapters include:

PART ONE: The Sociological Study of Childhood
1. Social Theories of Childhood
2. The Structure of Childhood and Children's Interpretive Reproductions 3. Studying Children and Childhood

PART TWO: Children, Childhood, and Families in Historical and Cultural Context
4. Historical Views of Childhood and Children
5. Social Change, Families, and Children

PART THREE: Children's Cultures
6. Children's Peer Cultures and Interpretive Reproduction
7. Sharing and Control in Initial Peer Cultures
8. Conflict and Differentiation in the Initial Peer Cultures
9. Preadolescent Peer Cultures

PART FOUR: Children, Social Problems, and the Future of Childhood
10. Children, Social Problems, and the Family
11. Children, Social Problems, and Society
12. The Future of Childhood

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone involved in work with children. For a great review, check out this site.

Steve