One of the most difficult things in the past decade is childhood. This paper looks at the various concerns constructed around childhood. It looks at how childhood articulates itself in the different societies around us. The emergent paradigm is an approach to the study of children and childhood. This study became so popular in Europe and shaped the way for researcher in the field of childhood. It states that childhood is a social construction. This means that the social world around the child affects their childhood (Allan, P. (1997). Children are active participants in developing their childhoods as well. The paradigm further argues that the study of how society affects childhood is a worthwhile study. To them, children are the key to understanding how the rest of humanity functions. They help people understand the concept of social life. It also looks at how social life changes over a period. This paradigm seeks to construct and reconstruct childhood in reference to the contemporary issues that children undergo in the society.
The paradigm fails at looking at other factors that might affect childhood other than the society. A proper childhood entails of more factors than just the society and the environment around him. Children do have need but these needs do not define their entire childhood. The author focuses on the environmental factors around the child and the effect that they have on the childhood of the individual. The paradigm however looks at some sensitive matters in childhood. Factors such as sexual abuse do affect the individual for a long time. These factors elaborate why there is need to negotiate for better childhoods. Dealing with such issues would provide better chances for childhood.
References
Allan, P. (1997) Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood: Contemporary Issues in Sociological Study of Childhood, New York: Falmer Press
