Cultural metaphors as means to contextualised understanding of child and childhood

Abstract

The conceptualizations about children and childhoods enrich our understanding of adult–child interactions, educational practice, policy and child‐welfare interventions. This study explored 42 cultural metaphors drawn from diverse socio‐economic, geographical and linguistic settings to construct Indian childhoods. The paper reports an interpretative analysis of reconstructions leading to a typology of metaphors‐in‐use. The conceptual‐analytical exercise helped unpack nuances and contextual meanings of metaphors. The paper argues for richness and subtlety in theorising childhoods, which is multilayered, situated and intertwined with contextual issues and tensions. The study offers methodological, pedagogical and conceptual insights and proposes possibilities for using cultural tools into inquiring childhoods.