Studying The Social Worlds Of Children

The text discusses how socialization is commonly conceived of by sociologists and how this conception has been criticized. It goes on to detail the wide range of ideas and data that come to light when investigators move beyond socialization to other ways of looking at children. The papers in parts 2 and 3 grow out of the criticisms and embody the insights of part 1. These papers expand understanding of children's social worlds and exemplify the contributions that are claimed in part 1 to emerge from moving beyond socialization. Part 2 consists of papers that display a range of adult perspectives on children. The papers in part 3 bring into clear view the richness of the worlds of children and the extensive work that children do to create and sustain their worlds. This text shows that adults' views of children and the actual social worlds that children inhabit are quite different.

Part 1 of this text provides an account of socialization as it is commonly conceived of by sociologists, offers criticisms of socialization as a concept, and details the wide range of ideas and data that come to light when investigators move beyond socialization to other ways of looking at children. The papers in parts 2 and 3 grow out of the criticisms and embody the insights of part 1. These papers expand understanding of children's social worlds and exemplify the contributions that are claimed in part 1 to emerge from moving beyond socialization. Part 2 consists of papers that display a range of adult perspectives on children. The papers in part 3 bring into clear view the richness of the worlds of children and the extensive work that children do to create and sustain their worlds. Read in conjuction with the articles in part 2, they show that adults' views of children and the actual social worlds that children inhabit are quite different.