Contested Childhoods: Growing up in Migrancy

"This rich, wide-ranging collection of papers transforms the long-standing debate about the 'second generation' into an original account of childhood and growing up under conditions of migration which should be of considerable interest well beyond the field of migration studies." (Ralph Grillo, University of Sussex) "This edited collections charts new ground in migration and childhood studies. It successfully highlights the complex ways in which children can be simultaneous members of different societies shifting the debate away from a prevalent focus on 'immigrant children' or 'second generation youth'. It also effectively distinguishes between normative childhood and childhood at the level of practice. The gap between the two, as the books documents, can be wide and this has important implications for policy making and the lives of these children." (Dr Elisabetta Zontini, Lead of the Research Centre on Identity, Citizenship, Equalities and Migration, University of Nottingham) "This book illuminates the intersection of "contested childhoods" and "growing up in migrancy" that contests the very meaning of childhood and sometimes produces violent conflicts. It will engage, challenge and enlighten those interested in new understandings of childhood/s and migrancy." (Prof Ann Phoenix, Thomas Coram Research Unit, Department of Social Science, UCL Institute of Education, UK)

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license.
This open access book explores specific migration, governance, and identity processes currently involving children and ideas of childhood.This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license.
This open access book explores specific migration, governance, and identity processes currently involving children and ideas of childhood. Migrancy as a social space allows majority populations to question the capabilities of migrants, and is a space in which an increasing number of children are growing up. In this space, families, nation-states, civil society, as well as children themselves are central actors engaged in contesting the meaning of childhood. Childhood is a field of conceptual, moral and political contestation, where the ‘battles’ may range from minor tensions and everyday negotiations of symbolic or practical importance involving a limited number of people, to open conflicts involving violence and law enforcement. The chapters demonstrate the importance of how we understand phenomena involving children: when children are trafficked, seeking refuge, taken into custody, active in gangs or in youth organisations, and struggling with identity work. This book examines countries representing very different engagements and policies regarding migrancy and children. As a result, readers are presented with a comprehensive volume ideal for both the classroom and for policy-makers and practitioners. The chapters are written by experts in social anthropology, human geography, political science, sociology, and psychology.