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The Sociology of Childhood
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The Sociology of Childhood

Sixth Edition
February 2024 | 424 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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The Sixth Edition of William A. Corsaro and Judson G. Everitt's groundbreaking text discusses children and childhood from a sociological perspective—providing in-depth coverage of social theories of childhood, the peer cultures and social issues of children and youth, and children and childhood within the frameworks of culture and history. This revised edition has been thoroughly updated to incorporate the latest research and the most pertinent information so readers can engage in powerful discussions on a wide array of topics.
 
PART ONE: THE SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF CHILDHOOD
 
1. Social Theories of Childhood
Sociology’s Rediscovery of Childhood

 
Traditional Theories: Socialization

 
Interpretive Reproduction: Children Collectively Participate in Society

 
Language and Cultural Routines

 
From Individual Progression to Collective Reproductions

 
 
2. The Structure of Childhood and Children’s Interpretive Reproductions
Assumptions of the Structural Perspective

 
Childhood, Children’s Activities, and Interpretive Reproduction in Peer Culture

 
 
3. Studying Children and Childhood
Macrolevel Methods

 
Microlevel Methods

 
Nontraditional Methods in Studying Children

 
Ethical Issues in Researching Children’s Lives

 
 
PART TWO: CHILDREN, CHILDHOOD, AND FAMILIES IN HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
 
4. Historical Views of Childhood and Children
Philippe Ariès’s Centuries of Childhood

 
The Debate Regarding Grand-Stage Theories of the Family and Childhood

 
The New History of Childhood

 
 
5. Social Change, Families, and Children
Examining Changes in Families From the Children’s Perspective

 
Children’s Everyday Lives in Families

 
The Effects of Recent Socioeconomic Changes on Families, Children, and Childhood in Western Societies

 
The Effects of Recent Socioeconomic Changes on Children and Childhood in Developing Societies

 
 
PART THREE: CHILDREN’S CULTURES
 
6. Children’s Peer Cultures and Interpretive Reproduction
Examining Peer Culture From Children’s Perspective

 
Central Importance of Peer Culture in Interpretive Reproduction

 
Symbolic Aspects of Children’s Cultures

 
Material Aspects of Children’s Cultures

 
Children, Parents, and Consumer Culture

 
 
7. Sharing and Control in Initial Peer Cultures
Central Themes in Children’s Initial Peer Cultures

 
Friendship, Sharing, and Social Participation

 
Autonomy and Control in Peer Culture

 
 
8. Conflict and Differentiation in the Initial Peer Culture
Conflict and Peer Relations

 
Social Differentiation in Initial Peer Cultures

 
 
9. Preadolescent Peer Cultures
Peer Cultures in Preadolescence

 
Friendship Processes in Preadolescent Peer Cultures

 
Autonomy and Identity in Preadolescent Peer Cultures

 
Disputes, Conflict, Friendships, and Gender

 
Generation M: Electronic Media in the Lives of Preadolescents and Adolescents

 
Effects and Process of Media Use in the Lives of Preadolescents and Adolescents

 
 
PART FOUR: CHILDREN, SOCIAL PROBLEMS, AND THE FUTURE OF CHILDHOOD
 
10. Children, Social Problems, and the Family
Changing Family Structures and Children’s Lives

 
Work, Families, and Childhood

 
Divorce and Its Effects on Children

 
 
11. Children, Social Problems, and Society
Poverty and the Quality of Children’s Lives

 
Teen Pregnancy and Nonmarital Births

 
Violence, Victimization, and the Loss of Childhood

 
The Profound and Inspiring Resilience of Children and Youth in Highly Challenging Life Circumstances

 
 
12. The Future of Childhood
The Major Challenges

 
Some More Modest Proposals to Enrich Children’s Lives

 
Conclusion

 

It is a little simplistic for undergraduate level students. It also has too much of a USA focus. The language and examples are too Americanised for a UK student audience.

Bethany Simmonds
Department of Geography & Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University
February 24, 2025
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Key features
  • Focuses on children's relationships with peers and adults, including coverage of children's peer cultures from preschool through pre-adolescence.
  • Presents an interpretive perspective on the sociology of childhood which contrasts the more traditional socialization or outcome approaches.
  • Includes section on children’s rights, including a description and discussion of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
  • Addresses current policy debates and changing demographics related to children in today’s societies.
  • Contains numerous examples of children’s actual play and behavior.
  • Provides new photographs and charts that capture the complexity and diversity of children’s lives.

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