What does it mean to be–and to raise–a child? This course begins with the premise that childhood has existed, and continues to exist, in myriad forms. Using the tools of anthropology we will ask a series of questions: how do definitions of childhood and childrearing vary across history and culture? How do children's daily lives differ from place to place and how are race, class and gender linked to discourses and experiences of childhood and childrearing? What role does education – formal and informal – play in shaping childhood? Furthermore, how do children stand in as symbols of broader political and cultural concerns?
Cultural Anthropology