Children, Youth, and Globalization

a conclusion

Where we began

• An interest in contemporary children’s culture• An understanding that cc is affected by

globalization• An interest in voice and agency in children’s lives• A curiosity regarding what the UNCRC is and how

its connected to all of this• A desire to understand the relationship between

institutions and individuals, adults and children, and the local and the global

We built a tool box with critical theoryIdeologies

Social Construction Social Variables

Binaries Power versus Powerless

Adult/Child BinaryEmpowerment

Consumerism and Commodity Culture Globalization

UniversalizationConcrete Images/Abstract Ideas

Politics of ChildhoodChild as Political Tool

Children’s Own CultureAdult Agenda

Agency/Self-DeterminationAdult Allies

We began to explore the “undefinable” globalization

“The movement, interaction, sharing, co-option, and even imposition of economic goods and services, cultures, ideas, ideologies, people’s lives and lived experiences, food, plants, animals, labour, learning, play, practices, and knowledge(s) across time and space(s) previously thought to be impossible or at the very least improbable.” (Gennaro, 2010)

BUT:• ITS NOT A-HISTORICAL• IT IS NOT STATIC• IT IS NOT FINITE• IT IS NOT INNOCENT

We actively seeked out the 3 voices of CCC

1. institutional (about children)2. Institutional (for children)3. Children’s voices

• In theory, in practise, and in story

And explored a range of contemporary issues in children’s global lives

• Child labour• Child soldiers• Children and HIV/AIDs• Children and popular culture• Children and war • Children and consumerism• Children and technology

And most importantly, we tried to flip the map

We examined the writing of history, the power of imperialism, the notion of voice and the subaltern and the importance of context

And asked What if we flipped the map to see CHILDREN AS:

HEROES IN HISTORY (Davis, 2010)

CITIZENS IN THEORY & ACTION (O’Neil, 2010)

WRITERS OF THIER OWN EXPERIENCE (Buckingham, 2010)

But how did we do this?

Thinking about the concept of “youth”

PTCTI• The saturated self• Imagined community of youth• Synergy and convergence

Thinking globally about culture

• Globalization as hybridization• The 5 scapes• Evil Bertladen and whats lost in translation• Globalization as more than just

Americanization• The need to connect the local with the global

Thinking about the construction of culture/power

HISTORY:• Its about story telling-

– but who’s stories are being told?

THEORY:• Is about understanding the dynamics and relations of power in society

» ADULT vs CHILD» POWER vs POWERLESS» REPRESENTATION vs REALITY» FASLE GENEROSITY vs ADULT ALLIES

WRITING:• Is about naming the word and naming the world.

• The power of language

Thinking about context

• But what about bias?• What about cultural relativity and sensitivity?• There is a need to not only think globally and

act locally but to think locally and act globally

But more than theory was needed:

• We needed to explore what institutions like the UN and UNICEF had to say about it.

• We needed to explore how these ideas were explained to children

• We needed to explore children’s own voice.

• Now the big question remains:

• What are you going to do about it?