Children, Place and Identity : Nation and Locality in Middle Childhood

In this, the first sociology book to consider the important issue of how children identify with place and nation, the authors use original research and international case studies to explore this topic in depth. The book is rooted in original qualitative research the authors conducted with a diverse sample of children (aged eight to eleven) across Wales, but this data is also located in the context of existing international research on place identity. The book features analysis of lively exchanges between children on their local, national and global identities, politics, language and race. It engages with important social and political questions such as whether cultural distinctiveness can be preserved in a context of globalization, whether we are destined to passively receive dominant representations of the nation or can creatively construct our own versions; and whether national identities are necessarily exclusive. Most importantly, the book focuses on what local and national identities mean to children in an era of cultural and economic globalization. Including material on racialization, language, politics, class and gender, Children, Place and Identity will be a valuable resource to students and researchers of childhood studies and the sociology of childhood.

In this, the first sociology book to consider the important issue of how children identify with place and nation, the authors use original research and international case studies to explore this topic in depth. The book is rooted in original qualitative research the authors conducted with a diverse sample of children (aged eight to eleven) across Wales, but this data is also located in the context of existing international research on place identity.

The book features analysis of lively exchanges between children on their local, national and global identities, politics, language and race. It engages with important social and political questions such as whether cultural distinctiveness can be preserved in a context of globalization, whether we are destined to passively receive dominant representations of the nation or can creatively construct our own versions; and whether national identities are necessarily exclusive. Most importantly, the book focuses on what local and national identities mean to children in an era of cultural and economic globalization.

Including material on racialization, language, politics, class and gender, Children, Place and Identity will be a valuable resource to students and researchers of childhood studies and the sociology of childhood.

Book Cover......Page 1 Half-Title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 7 1. Childhoods, places and nations......Page 8 2. Researching children, place and identity......Page 26 3. The process of children’s national and ethnic identifcation......Page 47 4. Global and national dimensions of place identity......Page 66 5. Local and domestic dimensions of place identity......Page 90 6. Insiders and outsiders......Page 112 7. Ways of speaking......Page 135 8. Conclusion......Page 155 References......Page 162 Index......Page 175 "This is the first sociological text to focus on how children identify with nation and locality. The authors take a broad social scientific approach to their topic, eschewing the disciplinary partisan tendencies of many childhood researchers. The book is rooted in original qualitative research the authors conducted with a diverse sample of children (aged 8-11) across Wales, but these data are also located in the context of existing international research on place identity."--Jacket Childhoods, places and nations Researching children, place, and identity The process of children's national and ethnic identification Global and national dimensions of place identity Local and domestic dimensions of place identity Insiders and outsiders Ways of speaking Conclusion