Constructing Childhood

ALLISON JAMES is Professor of Sociology at the University of Sheffield and a pioneer in the area of childhood studies. She is author of numerous publications on children and childhood including Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood (Falmer) and Theorizing Childhood (Polity Press).ADRIAN JAMES is Professor of Applied Social Studies at the University of Bradford. He has published widely in the field of socio-legal studies, covering a range of areas in both family law and criminal justice studies.

Through an interdisciplinary synthesis combining social theory, social policy and the empirical findings of social science research, it bridges the current gap between theory and practice, offering an incisive theoretical account of childhood that is grounded in substantive areas of children's lives such as health, education, crime and the family.This text provides a critical analysis of the social construction of childhood and children's agency. Through an interdisciplinary synthesis combining social theory, social policy and the empirical findings of social science research, it bridges the current gap between theory and practice, offering an incisive theoretical account of childhood that is grounded in substantive areas of children's lives such as health, education, crime and the family. This furthers understanding of the impact of policy on children's everyday lives and social experiences.