Childhood, Agency, and Fantasy

Ingrid E. Castro is professor of sociology and chair of the Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Department at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

• Adventure/Otherworld1-Where Do We Belong? Childhood Studies, Agency, Citizenry, and Fantasy – Ingrid E. CastroDream/Good vs. Evil2-A Futile Rage against the Machine: The Triumph of The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T – Peter W.Y. LeeImagination/Transformation3-Developing Children’s Agency through Play with Imaginary Companions – Kostas Magos and Sophia KremmydiotouHeroism/Supernatural4-Arcadia is in the Hands of Teenagers: Team Power in Guillermo del Toro’s Trollhunters – Tara MooreMagic/Journey5-The Boy Who Lives: Agentic Locations of Friendship Identity, Peer Culture, and Interpretive Reproduction in Harry Potter – Ingrid E. CastroMythology/Quest6-All in the Family: The Agency of Demigods and Godlings in the Mythic World of Rick Riordan – Michele D. CastlemanConflict/Justice7-Young People’s Agency in Online Fan Spaces – Parinita ShettyPortals/Time8-Girls’ Agency through Supermobility: The Power of Imagined Futures in Young Adult Fantasy Literature – Ida Fadzillah LeggettMovement/Power9-Being Scared in the Dark: Paradoxes, Perils, and the Promise of Fantasy for Urban Girls of Color – Ingrid E. Castro and Ana Lilia Campos-Manzo

As fantasy has become a defining force in children’s lives, through their interaction with film, novels, television, social media, games, and play, it is crucial that scholars evaluate fantasy through the lens of childhood studies. Here, contributors tackle the intersection of fantasy, childhood, and agency. Since children are quite literally the future, it matters what they are consuming, including what kinds of messages they are receiving about the potential for agency over their own lives and futures. Castro assembles a compelling, diverse array of themes and disciplinary perspectives. Recommended.