The sociology of childhood - William A. Corsaro

with children make his book a thoroughly enjoyable read as well as a valuable

critical sociological analysis of childhood - Sociology

The Sociology of Childhood is the Second Edition of a text that has been universally acclaimed as the best book on the subject available today. It is the only text that thoroughly covers children and childhood from a sociological perspective. The second edition retains the same quality coverage of social theories of childhood, the consideration of children and childhood in historical and cultural perspective, childrens peer cultures from preschool through preadolescence, and the social problems of children. The book has been updated to include new research, information, and discussions on the latest social indicators regarding children in the United States and around the world.

Key Features

New chapter on up-to-date methods of research for studying children.

New chapters on theory, cultural change, and childrens peer cultures.

New section on childrens rights including a description and discussion of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Updated chapter on the Future of Childhood addresses current policy debates and changing demographics related to children in todays societies.

Contains many examples of childrens actual play and behavior.

Provides photographs and charts that capture the complexity and diversity of childrens lives.

The Sociology of Childhood is highly recommended for use as the core text in courses on the sociology of children and childhood, as well as for parents, teachers, and other adults interested in the social lives and development of children. It can also be used in early education, child development, and child psychology courses, and as a supplemental text in the area of family studies.

William A. Corsaro is the Robert H. Shaffer Class of 1967 Endowed Professor of Sociology at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he teaches courses on the sociology of childhood, childhood in contemporary society, and ethnographic research methods. Corsaro is the author of Friendship and Peer Culture in the Early Years (1985) and "Were Friends, Right": Inside Kids Culture (2003). He was a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow in Bologna, Italy, in 1983-84 and a Fulbright Senior Specialist Fellow in Trondheim, Norway, in 2003. His research has been featured on NPR, the BBC in London, and in the New Yorker.