Children’s Agency and Educational Norms

TLDR

Children as social actors and participation are central to contemporary educational discourse, marking a paradigm shift inspired by sociology of childhood. The study critically examines how the paradigm of children as social actors is operationalized, assessing whether inclusive discourse may inadvertently exclude certain groups and linking it to neoliberal governmentality. The authors use a historical analysis of 150 years of child and family governance in Belgium to explore the links between the new paradigm and neoliberal governmentality.

Abstract

‘Children as social actors’ and ‘children’s participation’ are key concepts in present-day discourse and form a significant paradigm shift for the educational sciences, inspired by sociology of childhood. Some critical comments can however be made on how these concepts are transcribed into practice. A historical perspective, connecting the micro and the macro level, investigates how the new paradigm may be linked to discursive fields related to neoliberalism and its specific shifts in governmentality. These critical comments are inspired by a historical research into 150 years of governing children and families in Belgium. The discussion is necessary in order to evaluate whether and how the inclusive discourse on children can in turn exclude specific groups of children and adults in late modernity.