Toward a Culture-Informed Conceptualization of Child Agency in a Context Characterized by Political and Military Violence. A Qualitative Exploration throughout Experts’ Voices

Abstract

Our present study sought to qualitative explore the perceptions of experts on the meaning of children agency in a context characterized by ongoing colonial violence and structural racism. Namely, we explored culture and context-specific features of agency, experts’ perceptions about a decolonized definition, and gaps with the mainstream definition of the construct in Western contexts. The study involved 14 participants (N = 8 women), aged between 32 and 70 years with a mean age of 45 years (SD = 9.72) who came from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron and Jenin) and territories currently part of the State of Israel (Jerusalem and Jaffa). They are all mental health professionals in universities, research centres, hospitals and social welfare services. Secondly, the analysis resulted in a map of five themes representing a culturally oriented Palestinian children’s agency model. A threatening context, alleviating factors, healthy agency, aggravating factors, harmful agency. The Palestinian conceptualization of child agency lies in the multifaceted nature of the construct itself re-declined in a context characterized by multiple levels of complexity- cultural, political, social, economic. Our findings might contribute to creating indicators of Palestinian children’s agentic behaviours and a better operationalization of the construct itself.