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  • © 2016

Children, Childhood and Youth in the British World

Palgrave Macmillan
  • First book to investigate the lives of – and meanings attached to – children and youth within the context of the British world
  • Locates children, childhood and youth in broader social contexts and acknowledges young people as historical agents
  • Illuminates social and cultural aspects of young people’s pasts and tests the possibilities (and limitations) of the British world paradigm

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in the History of Childhood (PSHC)

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Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Children’s Empires and Material Cultures

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 253-253
  2. Back Matter

    Pages 290-328

About this book

Age was a critical factor in shaping imperial experience, yet it has not received any sustained scholarly attention. This pioneering interdisciplinary collection is the first to investigate the lives of children and young people and the construction of modes of childhood and youth within the British world.

Reviews

“The book offers a rich and often surprising read. … Children, Childhood and Youth in the British World will be s useful resource on all courses and research programmes concerned with its central themes, to enlarge students’ and researchers’ understanding and theorising of the great historical and international diversity of experience and interpretations of British Childhoods.” (Priscilla Alderson, Children, Youth and Environments, Vol. 28 (3), 2018)


“The volume makes a significant contribution in expanding our understanding of the British world that comprised of wider imperial networks and was built on mass migration of people. … it is an informative read and is replete with useful references for anyone who is interested in the history of children and youth.” (Soni, H-Soz-Kult, hsozkult.de, June, 2017)

“This edited collection aims to bring together a historiography of the British world and of childhood and youth. … This volume, co-edited by Shirleene Robinson and Simon Sleight, is therefore a welcome addition to interdisciplinary debates on the history of childhood and youth … . the chapters each contain original and at times absorbing historical research that will engage historical geographers.” (Sarah Mills, Journal of Historical Geography, Vol. 56, 2017)

“This fascinating collection offers exciting new knowledge about how children and childhoods were informed by and through their presence in the British world. … This collection not only provides an important intervention into discussions of colonial and imperial history as well histories of children and childhood, but should also prompt a range of new research in these areas.” (Kristine Moruzi, The Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth, Vol. 10 (2), 2017)


“This volume is a fascinating contribution to our understanding of the experience and conception of children, childhood and youth across the British world in this period. The impressive range of contributions illuminates the diversity of children’s lives, prompts us to reconsider ideas about power and agency and highlights the exchange and flow of ideas across the global web of empire. These essays, both individually and collectively, enhance our knowledge and understanding of the histories of childhood and youth … .” (Rosie Kennedy, Reviews in History, July 14, 2016)

“This collection makes interesting and important methodological contribution to the history of childhood while emphasizing the contribution of young people to broader imperial histories.” (Laura Tisdall, Social History, Vol. 41 (04), 2016)

"This wide-ranging interdisciplinary collection breaks new ground both geographically and methodologically. Its chapters present important new research on youth organizations, mobility, sexuality, public space, war, health, education, and more this is a must-read for historians of childhood and youth, imperialism, and the British world." - Kristine Alexander, The University of Lethbridge, Canada

"This book expands knowledge by bridging between the fields of colonial and imperial history, and the history of childhood and youth. With contributions from some of the leading authorities now writing, this fascinating collection of essays covers a range of historical settings across the 'British world'. Its contributors grapple productively with the challenge of analyzing the patterns and processes through which children's lives were represented, and the ideological work performed by childhood. The collection builds upon an important, new research agenda by demonstrating the significance ofhistories of children and childhood to histories of the British Empire." David Pomfret, University of Hong Kong

Editors and Affiliations

  • Macquarie University, Australia

    Shirleene Robinson

  • King’s College London, UK

    Simon Sleight

About the editors

Shurlee Swain, Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, Australia. Suzanne Conway, Chestnut Hill College, USA. S.E. Duff, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Ellen Filor, Indepdendent Scholar, UK. Claire L. Halstead, University of Western Ontario, Canada. Timothy Nicholson, State University of New York at Delhi, USA. Satadru Sen, Queens College of the City of New York, USA. Mary Clare Martin, University of Greenwich, UK. Michelle J. Smith, Deakin University, Australia. Hilary Emmett, University of East Anglia, UK. Yorick Smaal, Griffith University, Australia. Melissa Bellanta, Australian Catholic University in Sydney, Australia. Ruth Colton, University of Manchester, UK. Kate Darian-Smith, University of Melbourne, Australia.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access