The Well-Being of Children

Tim Moore

3 Keeping them in Mind

3.1 Introduction

Over the past 30 years, a growing number of theorists have problematised longstanding theories of childhood, arguing that they fail to fully account for children’s lived experience, the part they play in shaping and being shaped by the worlds around them, and their unique cultures and standpoints (Lee 1999, Corsaro 2005). Theories have emerged that homogenise children’s experiences and either understate or overstate their vulnerability, capacity and agency. This paper presents these different (and often contradictory) conceptualisations and suggests that the process of reflexivity might help researchers (and theorists, practitioners and others) account for their approach and identify and respond ...