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Unexpected Allies: Expanding the Theoretical Toolbox of the Children’s Rights Sociologist

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Theorising Childhood

Part of the book series: Studies in Childhood and Youth ((SCY))

Abstract

Today, the study of children's rights faces several interrelated challenges in terms of theorising, critical posture and reflexivity. This chapter aims to contribute to the reflections about these issues by drawing on contemporary debates within French sociology, opposing Bourdieu’s critical sociology and the pragmatic sociologies of Boltanski and Latour. Building on the findings of an ethnographic enquiry into the work of child and youth participation specialists in French-speaking Switzerland, it explores the possibilities of mobilising these partially conflicting approaches within participation research. The chapter shows that the combination of critical and pragmatic resources offers useful complementary analytical insights into participation practices. The theoretical tensions between these distinct postures may also contribute effectively to clarifying the role of critique and reflexivity within children’s rights studies.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    As many childhood scholars, I study children’s rights partly because I am convinced that children are resourceful agents and should be taken seriously. My professional trajectory also led me to work in war-torn countries for a large non-governmental organisation, including as a delegate and as an action-researcher engaged in promoting a greater recognition of children’s perspectives. My favorable bias towards children and young people’s participation requires therefore additional precautions when approaching the study of the related practices.

  2. 2.

    The Swiss federal system distinguishes three main levels of government: federal, cantonal and municipal.

  3. 3.

    Participants expressed themselves under condition of anonymity, so the names used in this chapter are pseudonyms. 

  4. 4.

    The translations of quotations from material in French are mine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Teacher Education (HEP), Lausanne, Switzerland

    Michele Poretti

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  1. Michele Poretti
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

    Claudio Baraldi

  2. Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, United Kingdom

    Tom Cockburn

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Poretti, M. (2018). Unexpected Allies: Expanding the Theoretical Toolbox of the Children’s Rights Sociologist. In: Baraldi, C., Cockburn, T. (eds) Theorising Childhood. Studies in Childhood and Youth. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72673-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72673-1_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-72672-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-72673-1

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