Biosocial Perspectives on Children

Explores biological and social aspects of childhood across a wide spectrum of cultures.

Childhood is a uniquely human life-stage, and is both a biological phenomenon and a social construct. This book offers an exploration of both the biological and social science perspectives of childhood in cultures in many parts of the world. Students and scholars interested in children and childhood will find it of value.Childhood is a uniquely human life-stage, and is both a biological phenomenon and a social construct. Research on children is currently of wide-ranging interest. This book presents reviews of childhood from four major areas of interest - human evolution, sociology/social anthropology, bio-medical anthropology and developmental psychology - to form a biosocial, cross-cultural understanding of childhood. The book places a strong emphasis on how childhood varies from culture to culture, offering examples from developed and developing countries, as well as from other animal species. It will be of interest to students and scholars within the fields of human biology, anthropology, sociology, health studies and developmental psychology.