In An Introduction to Childhood, Heather Montgomery examines the role children have played within anthropology, how they have been studied by anthropologists and how they have been portrayed and analyzed in ethnographic monographs over the last one hundred and fifty years.
Offers a comprehensive overview of childhood from an anthropological perspective
Draws upon a wide range of examples and evidence from different geographical areas and belief systems
Synthesizes existing literature on the anthropology of childhood, while providing a fresh perspective
Engages students with illustrative ethnographies to illuminate key topics and themes
Acknowledgments viii
Introduction 1
1 Childhood within Anthropology 17
Introduction 17
Children: The First Primitives 18
Culture and Personality 22
Cross-Cultural Studies of Child-Rearing 26
Children in British Anthropology 34
The Gendered Child 38
Child-Centered Anthropology 43
Conclusion 49
2 What is a Child? 50
Introduction 50
Childhood as a Modern Idea: The Influence of Philippe Ariès 51
Conceptualizations of Childhood 53
Children as Incompetent or Subordinate 56
Children as Equals 61
Children as a Means of Forming Families and Giving Status 63
Children as an Economic Investment 67
Unwanted and Nonhuman Children 70
Conclusion 77
3 The Beginning of Childhood 79
Introduction 79
Fetuses 80
Spirit Children 87
Reincarnation 95
Anomalies 98
Conclusion 103
4 Family, Friends, and Peers 104
Introduction 104
The Role of Parents 105
Adoption and Fosterage 107
Children outside the Family 118
Siblings 121
Friends and Peer Groups 126
Conclusion 132
5 Talking, Playing, and Working 134
Introduction 134
Learning Language 135
Children and Play 141
Work or Play? 149
Conclusion 155
6 Discipline, Punishment, and Abuse 156
Introduction 156
Discipline and Punishment in the Western Tradition 157
Physical Punishment 159
Alternatives to Physical Punishment 166
Who Can Punish Children? 170
Child Abuse 172
Conclusion 179
7 Children and Sexuality 181
Introduction 181
Anthropology, Sexuality, and Childhood 182
Children and Sex: The Influence of Freud 184
Incest and Abuse 187
Ethnographies of Children and Sexuality 190
Child Prostitution 196
Conclusion 200
8 Adolescence and Initiation 201
Introduction 201
What is Adolescence? 202
Adolescence and Globalization 207
Initiation 212
Initiation: A Psychological Approach 215
Initiation and Education 221
Initiation and Gender 224
Initiation: The End of Childhood? 228
Conclusion 231
Conclusion 233
Bibliography 239
Index 270
