Journal Articles

To Be (Come) or Not to Be (Come): Understanding Children’s Citizenship

---

This article explores notions of the “child as citizen” and “children’s citizenship” in the context of possibilities and promises for the rights of children that are laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It poses the question, Can “children’s citizenship” ever be fully accomplished for and/or by children? The article begins with an examination of contemporary theories of citizenship and considers the grounds for children’s citizenship in the light of the ways in which “childhood” is culturally, socially, economically, and politically constructed in different societies. It suggests that in social investment states, such as the United Kingdom, the contemporary cultural politics of childhood mean that children’s citizenship remains ambiguous. What is needed, the article suggests, is a greater understanding at the local level of how children’s experiences as members of society unfold. Thus, taking England as a case study, and drawing on some empirical research with children’s experiences in children’s hospitals, the article illustrates the ways in which adults’ ideas about childhood limit children’s agency and actions, thereby denying them status as citizens.

---

Availability

No copy data

Detail Information

Series Title

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

Call Number

-

Publisher

: sage publisher., 2011

Collation

-

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

00027162

Classification

-

Content Type

-

Media Type

-

Carrier Type

-

Edition

Vol. 633 no. 1. January 2011.pp. 167-179

Subject(s)

Citizenship
Politics
social construction
Childhood
To be come or not to be come

Specific Detail Info

-

Statement of Responsibility

-

Other version/related

File Attachment

Comments

---

You must be logged in to post a comment