Childhood and Socialization Pt 1: Situating Childhood

What’s the most influential factor in any child’s development? What do you think? Could it be… parents? Schooling? Individual personality? 

In fact, the most influential factor in any child’s development is the cultural community into which they are born. Culture will impact every major aspect of a growing child’s life, from the very first moments of its life.

In “Part 1: Situating Childhood” we’ll learn how material conditions, caretaking responsibilities, and cultural expectations shape the process of child development.

In “Part 2: Childhood Adversity,” we’ll take a closer look at what children need to thrive, no matter their culture. We’ll see what happens when kids grow up under unfavorable circumstances and discuss contemporary global changes affecting children around the world.

Watch the full episode:

Resources:

The Anthropology of Childhood: Cherubs, Chattel, Changelings, 3rd Edition by David F. Lancing
Do Parents Matter? Why Japanese Babies Sleep Soundly, Mexican Siblings Don’t Fight, and American Families Should Just Relax, by Robert A. Levine and Sarah Levine. An accessible newly published book by two respected career anthropologists of childhood.

Films:

What is the most important influence on child development with Tom Weisner by TedXUCLA

Different Ways of Raising Your Children, Parenting Around the World by Real Families

Cultural Differences on Raising Children by Dr. Bev Knox