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Taming Childhood? pp 13–34Cite as

The Context of Childhood

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Abstract

Children’s lived experiences are shaped by a number of influential ideas about childhood. Since 1979, the political context of the UK has been dominated by neoliberalism. This promotes an individualised view of social life, reinforcing in turn an understanding of children as becomings rather than beings. Alongside this though, we point to three key concepts that have emerged with respect to how children are seen: well-being, vulnerability, and resilience. A critical view of each demonstrates how these concepts are forged within social contexts and how they come to be mobilised in ways which often undermine and impoverish childhood, contributing to what has come to be referred to as snowflakes.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychological and Social Sciences, York St John University, York, UK

    Rob Creasy

  2. School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK

    Fiona Corby

Authors
  1. Rob Creasy
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  2. Fiona Corby
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Correspondence to Rob Creasy .

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Creasy, R., Corby, F. (2019). The Context of Childhood. In: Taming Childhood?. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11842-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11842-6_2

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-11841-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-11842-6

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