HUGH CUNNINGHAM

HUGH CUNNINGHAM

1. each crisis in childhood has echoes in the past

   • current crisis lies in struggle between idea of child as an independent person with rights and the romantic ideal that assert child has a right to be a child

2. process of civilisation creates distance between adulthood and childhood

   • childhood protected state, link with romantics

3. at beginning of 20 century children conceptualised as an asset to the state and childhood became site for intervention

   • maternal intervention not enough, child's health now a matter of public concern
     • link with charities such as banardos (bk 4)
     • link with social welfare reform, political ideologies
       • education and health reform had biggest impact on childrens lives/mortality rates
         • link to book 4 bangladesh
           • reduction in under 5 mortality rate achieved because of a national commitment to invest in boosting adult literacy, social services and primary school enrollement p123 bk 4

4. transition from valuing children for their ability to contribute to valuing them for emotional reasons had biggest impact on children's lives

   • this is in minority world
     • need v's contribution in majority world
       • Engle and Nieves 1993
         • children feed according to the contribution they can make to the family welfare, society or according to biological need

5. children's exposure to visual culture, commercialisation, new media has fragmented the possibility of a ideal childhood put forward by the romantic approach

6. in 20th century children have enhanced rights

   • to a childhood
     • UNCRC
   • as individuals demanding to be treated more like adults with access to privileges of adult world (not work)
     • shift in balance of power between parent and child in the family