Review

“Overall, this reader will provide an excellent, current, thoughtful, and much needed selection of work for courses in the sociology of childhood and interdisciplinary courses in childhood studies.”

Dr. David M. Hummon, Holy Cross College

“It is a strong counterbalance to the endless “developmental” approaches to the study of childhood. There is a real need for this type of book.”

Dr. Nancy Finley, University of Alabama — Huntsville

“I would definitely adopt a book like this. There has been a real need for this type of book for quite some time. The theory in the sociological study of childhood has advanced far beyond the publications appropriate for student texts. I look forward to its publication.”

Dr. Nancy Finley, University of Alabama — Huntsville

“This reader has several strengths. First, it uses the New Sociology of Childhood approach, recognizing children as active agents in their own right. Second, the reader draws heavily from the authors who have forged new ground in sociology of children (Thorne, Corsaro, Prout and James, Fine, and Adlers) and also includes a variety of new authors who are moving that work forward in exciting ways. Third, the organization is sound. It provides both historical and contemporary contexts and theoretical and methodological frameworks; then it covers children’s diversity and ends with some key issues.”

Dr. Sue Marie Wright, Eastern Washington University

From the Back Cover

This anthology from scholarly literature about children explores the ways society makes meaning of the period called childhood, the social forces that shape children, and the strategies children use to influence each other, their familes, and the larger adult world. The thirty four readings in Childhood in American Society examine how how definitions of "normal" and "ideal" childhood change across place and time, and vary with differences of race, class, and gender. They challenge traditional development and socialization approaches to studying childhood, and provide many examples based on ethnographies with children.

Karen Sternheimer is a member of the Sociology Department at the University of Southern California. She is also the author of Kids These Days: Facts and Fictions About Today's Youth (Rowman & Littlefield) and It's not the Media: The Truth About Pop Culture's Influence on Children (Westview Press).

About the Author

Karen Sternheimer is a member of the Sociology Department at the University of Southern California. She is also the author of Kids These Days: Facts and Fictions About Today's Youth (Rowman & Littlefield) and It's Not the Media: The Truth About Pop Culture's Influence on Children (Westview Press). Her research on children has explored such diverse topics as kidnapping, substance abuse, obesity, teen pregnancy, and teen driving.