Sociology of Childhood

Harvard FAS

What does it mean to be a child? What is it like to be a child? Drawing on the tools of sociology, we will see how children’s lives and life chances are shaped by their social position, their social contexts, and the broad social structures in their society. Additionally, we will examine how the very notions of “childhood” and “adolescence” are socially constructed, varying across history and cultures rather than stemming from biology alone. We will consider why…