Anthropological Perspectives on Children as Helpers, Workers, Artisans, and Laborers (Palgrave Studies on the Anthropology of Childhood and Youth)

The study of childhood in academia has been dominated by a mono-cultural or WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) perspective. Within the field of anthropology, however, a contrasting and more varied view is emerging. While the phenomenon of children as workers is ephemeral in WEIRD society and in the literature on child development, there is ample cross-cultural and historical evidence of children making vital contributions to the family economy. Children’s “labor” is of great interest to researchers, but widely treated as extra-cultural—an aberration that must be controlled. Work as a central component in children’s lives, development, and identity goes unappreciated. __Anthropological Perspectives on Children as Helpers, Workers, Artisans, and Laborers__ aims to rectify that omission by surveying and synthesizing a robust corpus of material, with particular emphasis on two prominent themes: the processes involved in learning to work and the interaction between ontogeny and children’s roles as workers. La 4e de couv. indique : "The study of childhood in academia has been dominated by a mono-cultural or WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) perspective. Within the field of anthropology, however, a contrasting and more varied view is emerging. While the phenomenon of children as workers is ephemeral in WEIRD society and in the literature on child development, there is ample cross-cultural and historical evidence of children making vital contributions to the family economy. Children's "labor" is of great interest to researchers, but widely treated as extra-cultural--an aberration that must be controlled. Work as a central component in children's lives, development, and identity goes unappreciated. Anthropological Perspectives on Children as Helpers, Workers, Artisans, and Laborers aims to rectify that omission by surveying and synthesizing a robust corpus of material, with particular emphasis on two prominent themes: the processes involved in learning to work and the interaction between ontogeny and children's roles as workers." The study of childhood in academia has been dominated by a mono-cultural or WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) perspective. Within the field of anthropology, however, a contrasting and more varied view is emerging. While the phenomenon of children as workers is ephemeral in WEIRD society and in the literature on child development, there is ample cross-cultural and historical evidence of children making vital contributions to the family economy. Children's "labor" is of great interest to researchers, but widely treated as extra-cultural--an aberration that must be controlled. Work as a central component in children's lives, development, and identity goes unappreciated. Anthropological Perspectives on Children as Helpers, Workers, Artisans, and Laborers aims to rectify that omission by surveying and synthesizing a robust corpus of material, with particular emphasis on two prominent themes: the processes involved in learning to work and the interaction between ontogeny and children's roles as workers--back cover Within academia, the study of childhood has been dominated by a mono-cultural or WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) perspective. However, a contrasting and more varied perspective is emerging within the field of anthropology. So, while the phenomenon of children as workers is ephemeral in WEIRD societies and in the literature on child development, there is ample cross-cultural and historical evidence of children making vital contributions to the family economy. Children's "labor" is of great interest to researchers but it is treated as extra-cultural--an aberration that must be controlled. Work as a central component in children's lives, development, and identity goes unappreciated. This book aims to rectify that omission by surveying and synthesizing a very robust corpus of material. Two prominent themes receive particular emphasis: the processes involved in learning to work, and the interaction between ontogeny and children's roles as workers Front Matter ....Pages i-xiii Work in Children’s Lives (David F. Lancy)....Pages 1-30 From Playing to Working (David F. Lancy)....Pages 31-58 Helpers (David F. Lancy)....Pages 59-84 Becoming Workers (David F. Lancy)....Pages 85-129 Young Artisans (David F. Lancy)....Pages 131-158 Children as a Reserve Labor Force (David F. Lancy)....Pages 159-187 Children as Laborers (David F. Lancy)....Pages 189-212 The Effects of Culture Change on Children’s Work (David F. Lancy)....Pages 213-235 Back Matter ....Pages 237-245 The study of childhood in academia has been dominated by a mono-cultural or WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialised, rich, and democratic) perspective. Within the field of anthropology, however, a contrasting and more varied view is emerging. While the phenomenon of children as workers is ephemeral in WEIRD society and in the literature on child development, there is ample cross-cultural and historical evidence of children making vital contributions to the family economy