Introduction to Childhood

Heather Montgomery is a Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies at The Open University. She has written on children and sexuality, tourism, children’s rights and on the role of children in anthropology. Her publications include Modern Babylon? Prostituting Children in Thailand (2001), Understanding Childhood: An Interdisciplinary Approach (2003, with Martin Woodhead), and Changing Childhoods: Global and Local (2003, with Martin Woodhead and Rachel Burr).

• Acknowledgments viiiIntroduction 11 Childhood within Anthropology 17Introduction 17Children: The First Primitives 18Culture and Personality 22Cross-Cultural Studies of Child-Rearing 26Children in British Anthropology 34The Gendered Child 38Child-Centered Anthropology 43Conclusion 492 What is a Child? 50Introduction 50Childhood as a Modern Idea: The Influence of Philippe Ariès 51Conceptualizations of Childhood 53Children as Incompetent or Subordinate 56Children as Equals 61Children as a Means of Forming Families and Giving Status 63Children as an Economic Investment 67Unwanted and Nonhuman Children 70Conclusion 773 The Beginning of Childhood 79Introduction 79Fetuses 80Spirit Children 87Reincarnation 95Anomalies 98Conclusion 1034 Family, Friends, and Peers 104Introduction 104The Role of Parents 105Adoption and Fosterage 107Children outside the Family 118Siblings 121Friends and Peer Groups 126Conclusion 1325 Talking, Playing, and Working 134Introduction 134Learning Language 135Children and Play 141Work or Play? 149Conclusion 1556 Discipline, Punishment, and Abuse 156Introduction 156Discipline and Punishment in the Western Tradition 157Physical Punishment 159Alternatives to Physical Punishment 166Who Can Punish Children? 170Child Abuse 172Conclusion 1797 Children and Sexuality 181Introduction 181Anthropology, Sexuality, and Childhood 182Children and Sex: The Influence of Freud 184Incest and Abuse 187Ethnographies of Children and Sexuality 190Child Prostitution 196Conclusion 2008 Adolescence and Initiation 201Introduction 201What is Adolescence? 202Adolescence and Globalization 207Initiation 212Initiation: A Psychological Approach 215Initiation and Education 221Initiation and Gender 224Initiation: The End of Childhood? 228Conclusion 231Conclusion 233Bibliography 239Index 270

“Although this work will be most useful for an upper-level undergraduate audience, more advanced readers will also enjoy it for its readability, the considerable breadth of literature covered, and its serious attempt to place children at the forefront of anthropology.”  (Journal of the Finnish Anthropological Society, 1 April 2011)"Heather Montgomery illustrates the many ways that anthropologists have written about children over the past 150 years with enviable clarity and economy. Her book will be required reading for students, academics, and professionals in understanding childhood in context." (Journal of Folklore Research, 19 January 2011)"An Introduction to Childhood is nicely written and makes the case well for undergraduate audiences that it is important to consider cultural differences in ideas about childhood. This is a timely issue and the book should be a useful addition to introductory undergraduate courses." (International Joumal of Sociology of the Family, February 2010)"A timely, readable, and important work for all academic libraries. Summing Up: Highly recommended." (CHOICE, October 2009)"This book deserves a wide audience; it is an important resource not only for students of anthropology but also to people working in child protection in cross-cultural settings. ... Invaluable." (Children & Society, 2009)"Throughout the book, the discussions give an insight into classic and contemporary anthropology related to children, which is important for everyone working with research in similar fields. The book is especially relevant for students. The style is clear and approachable … .Although it is not required of the reader to read the book from cover to cover, I strongly recommend doing so." (Childhood in the Past, 2009)