Childhood in German Sociology and Society

Abstract

The emergence and progression of childhood sociological research and theorizing in Germany over the last three decades are outlined in the article, thereby showing a growing variety of sociological approaches and publication activities, a development towards international cooperation and institutionalization within the German Association of Sociology. The prevalence of two main orientations is focused on. These are, first, an emphasis on children's agency and self-determinacy, which is characterized by its specific origins in both German postwar history and particular subject-orientated education and socialization concepts; and second, a strong interest in and concern for recent social changes which can be observed in theorizing and research on issues such as the positioning of childhood in the generational order, children's welfare policies, urban environments, the media and market, intergenerational relationships and the formation of identity. keywords: childhood ✦ children ✦ children's agency ✦ social change ✦ social structure

Introduction: The case for a value turn in childhood sociology

“…The ‘new’ paradigm has been particularly influential in answering questions of how particular forms of childhood are socially constructed and what roles children as agentic actors play in the process, drawing on several emerging theoretical resources at that time, including interactionist sociology, structural sociology, social constructionism and feminism (Prout, 2005: 60–61). It has unleashed a tremendous intellectual force among childhood scholars, evidenced by flourishing research developments in the area in various European countries (see detailed country-specific literature reviews in a monograph issue of Current Sociology edited by Bühler-Niederberger, 2010b), in particular in the UK (Moran-Ellis, 2010) and Germany (Zeiher, 2010). Particularly notable was the establishment of an interdisciplinary journal of Childhood by the Norwegian Centre for Child Research at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 1993, which has become a major platform for disseminating and advancing research agendas of this ‘new’ paradigm, and many of its early advocates served successively in the editorial team of the journal, including Chris Jenks, Jens Qvortrup, Barrie Thorne, Leena Alanen and others.…”

Organisation und Institution in der Sozialen Arbeit

“…This form of support usually allows young people to lead a more comfortable life outside of work. In a number of cases, it can also be seen that housework remains largely confined to the mother's task and domain (Farris, 2016;Lahelma & Gordon, 2003;Mitchell, 1998Mitchell, , 2006Tomaszczyk & Worth, 2018;Zeiher, 2010), revealing the gendered nature of the domestic division of labor.…”

Opening the black box of socialization: Emotions, practices and (biographical) identities

“…One is obviously sociology of childhood. Although its upsurge implied a refusal of socialization in order to emphasize the active role of children -the ingenious replacement by "interpretative reproduction" (Corsaro, 2000) being emblematic -recent works tend to invigorate the study of socialization (Handel et al, 2007;Zeiher, 2010). Other area is economic sociology, which consolidation relied precisely on a claim for a sensible balance between over-and under-socialized theoretical accounts against the economists" reduction of economy (and society) to an amalgam of individual rational actions (Granovetter, 1985).…”