HIST 3320: The History of Childhood
An OER for Prof. Swapna Banerjee
Introductory Readings
- What does it mean to think historically.What does it mean to think historically by Thomas Andrews and Flannery Burke | Jan 1, 2007
- Tim Lacy, Thinking Through HistoryJune 10, 2016
Many moons ago, in 2013, I expanded on Thomas Andrew’s and Flannery Burke’s excellent work on “The 5 Cs of Historical Thinking” (2007). I lengthened the list to nine. Since then, with student feedback, I’ve revised the list and added a few more points. Below is my latest version. This is my last addition. Anything beyond a dozen exceeds mnemonic capacity. But I reserve the right to fiddle with my descriptions of existing entries. - Mintz, Childhood has a HistorySteven Mintz, “Childhood has a History” Not Even Past (Blog)
Childhood in History
- IntroductionStearns, P. N. (2016). Introduction In Childhood in world history. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Childhood in HistoryThane, P. (1981). Childhood in History In M. King, Childhood, welfare and justice: A critical examination of children in the legal and childcare systems . London: Batsford Academic and Educational Ltd.
- Exploring Sources: Writing about children vs. writing for children vs. writing by childrenExploring Sources: Writing about children vs. writing for children vs. writing by children. The George Mason University (GMU) website
A Brief History of the History of Childhood
- The Discovery of Childhood [pdf]Ariès, Phillipe. (1962) “Chapter 2: The Discovery of Childhood” In Centuries of Childhood.
- Histories of ChildhoodClark, J. (2004) Histories of Childhood In Dominic Wyse Childhood Studies: An Introduction. John Wiley & Sons.
- Anastasia Ulanowicz, Philippe ArièsAnastasia Ulanowicz (n.d) Philippe Ariès. Representing Childhood - Theorists - Philippe Ariès
- Different Cultures, Different ChildhoodsMontgomery, Heather. (2019, Mar. 1) “Different Cultures, Different Childhoods”. OpenLearn Open University
- Re-Visioning Women and Social Change: Where Are the Children?Thorne, Barrie. "Re-Visioning Women and Social Change: Where Are the Children?," Gender and Society 1, no. 1 (1987): 85-109.
- The Kids Aren’t All Right: Historians and the Problem of ChildhoodMaza, S. (2020). The Kids Aren’t All Right: Historians and the Problem of Childhood. American Historical Review, 125(4), 1261–1285.
Primary Sources:
- Medieval Children PaintingsNOTE: This is a commercial site but gives you an idea and takes you to different links.
- ARTstorFor authentic images or pictures, search ARTstor, the most reliable resource for academic and scholarly use
Childhood in Agricultural Societies
- Chapter 1 Childhood in Agricultural Societies: The First Big ChangesStearns, P. N. (2016). Childhood in Agricultural Societies: The First Big Changes. In Childhood in World History. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Ancient ChinaCitation: Anne Kinney, "Ancient China," in Children and Youth in History, Item #187, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/187
- Mencius and his Mother: A Lesson Drawn from WeavingCitation: "Mencius and his Mother: A Lesson Drawn from Weaving" [Literary Excerpt and Illustration]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #189, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/189 Annotated by Anne Kinney
- The Book of Rites, Early Education and Gender Differentiation [Literary Excerpt]Citation: "The Book of Rites, Early Education and Gender Differentiation [Literary Excerpt]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #194, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/194 Annotated by Anne Kinney
- Indus Valley Climbing Monkey Toy [Object],Citation: "Indus Valley Climbing Monkey Toy [Object]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #312, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/312 Annotated by Susan Douglass
Classical Childhood
- Chapter 2 Childhood in the Classical CivilizationsStearns, P. N. (2016). Chapter 2 Childhood in the Classical Civilizations. In Childhood in World History. ProQuest Ebook Central
Primary Sources
- Ancient Greek Girl Athlete"Ancient Greek Girl Athlete [Sculpture]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #383, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/383
- Ancient Greek Adolescent Girls at Play [Sculpture]"Ancient Greek Adolescent Girls at Play [Sculpture]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #381, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/381
- Roman Children’s SarcophagiBeryl Rawson, "Roman Children’s Sarcophagi," in Children and Youth in History, Item #52, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/52
Postclassical, Medieval, Early Modern Childhood
- Chapter 3 Childhood in the Postclassical World History”Stearns, P. N. (2016). Chapter 3 Childhood in the Postclassical World History” In Childhood in World History. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Chapter 4 Contacts and Contrasts in the postclassical World” (Americas, SubSaharan Africa, Japan, Russia, Western Europe)Stearns, P. N. (2016). Chapter 4 Childhood in the Postclassical World History” In Childhood in World History. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Representing Childhood in Medieval England, c. 500-1500Nicholas Orme. Representing Childhood in Medieval England, c. 500-1500
- Childhood in Early Modern England, c. 1500-1700Michael Witmore "Childhood in Early Modern England, c. 1500-1700"
Primary Sources
- Children during the Black DeathShona Kelly Wray, "Children during the Black Death," in Children and Youth in History, Item #167, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/167
- Decameron [Literary Excerpt]Giovanni Boccaccio, "Decameron [Literary Excerpt]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #177, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/177 Annotated by Shona Kelly Wray
- Testament of a Father during the Black Death [Will]Carinus, "Testament of a Father during the Black Death [Will]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #180, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/180 Annotated by Shona Kelly Wray
- Testament of a Mother during the Black Death [Will]Ursollina, "Testament of a Mother during the Black Death [Will]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #181, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/181 Annotated by Shona Kelly Wray
- Examination of Sarah Carrier [Legal Document]"Examination of Sarah Carrier [Legal Document]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #282, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/282 Annotated by Tom Rushford
Locke, Wollstonecraft, Eighteenth Century Childhood
Primary Sources
- John Locke, “Some Thoughts Concerning Education.” (Excerpts)This E-text is from the edition included in The Educational Writings of John Locke, edited by John William Adamson, published by Cambridge University Press in 1922. This edition was based primarily on the 1693 first print, but it includes most of the passages that Locke added in subsequent prints. For better readability, Adamson slightly modernized the spelling, replacing words like strengthen'd" or "physick" with "strengthened" and "physic", and using lowercase where in the original Print, numerous Nouns had Capitals like in this Sentence.
- Some Thoughts Concerning Education"Some Thoughts Concerning Education." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Some_Thoughts_Concerning_Education
- Jean Jacques Rousseau, Emile or On Education (Excerpts)Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, Jules Steeg, and Eleanor Worthington. Émile, Or, Concerning Education: Extracts Containing the Principal Elements of Pedagogy Found in the First Three Books. Boston: D.C. Heath & Co, 1889. Internet resource.
- Emile, or On Education"Emile, or On Education." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emile,_or_On_Education
- Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) and the Vindication on the Rights of Women.Steven Kreis. (13 Apr. 2012) Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) and the Vindication on the Rights of Women.
- Full Text of Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects. New York: Bartleby.com, Inc, 1999. Internet resource. NOTE: Read Chapter XII, “On National Education,” https://www.bartleby.com/144/12.html (Read from para 68 onwards)
Secondary Sources
- The Eighteenth-Century ChildAndrew O’Malley. The Eighteenth-Century Child.
The Victorian Child
- Chapter 5 Forces of Change and the Modern Model of Childhood, Developments in the West: Eighteenth century to 1914.Stearns, P. N. (2016). Forces of Change and the Modern Model of Childhood, Developments in the West: Eighteenth century to 1914. In Childhood in World History. ProQuest Ebook Central
- The Romantic Child, c.1780-1830Christopher Rovee. The Romantic Child, c.1780-1830
- The Victorian Child, c.1837-1901Marah Gubar. The Victorian Child, c.1837-1901
- Women and Children During the Industrial Revolution in EnglandDan Moorhouse (n.d) Women and Children During the Industrial Revolution in England. BBC
- Child Labor | Human Rights WatchFor comparison with the present, visit the Human Rights Watch website on Child Labor:
Watch
[Bev A] (n.d) The Children Who Built Victorian Britain Part 1 [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/87eVOpbcoVo
The Many Worlds of the Indian Child
- The Many Worlds of Indian Children” (pdf on BB)Swapna Banerjee, “The Many Worlds of Indian Children” (pdf on BB)
- Imagining Children (pdf on BB)Swapna Banerjee, “Imagining Children” (pdf on BB)
- Duties of a ‘good citizen’: colonial secondary school textbook policies in late nineteenth-century IndiaTopdar, S. (2015). Duties of a ‘good citizen’: colonial secondary school textbook policies in late nineteenth-century India. South Asian History & Culture, 6(3), 417–439. https://doi-org.brooklyn.ezproxy.cuny.edu/10.1080/19472498.2015.1030877
- Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra: Ruskin BondBond, R. (1992). Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra. London: Penguin Books Ltd.
I recommend stories 11-29 but all of them are great. Read 19 and 22. Other short stories to be added. - Is there an Indian Childhood?Olga Nieuwenhuys, “Is there an Indian Childhood?,” Childhood, Vol 16(2): 147–153. DOI 10.1177/0907568209104398
Watch
[Aashirya Studios] (2020, Jul. 6) pather panchali|Full COLOR movie|পথের পাঁচালী| Satyajit Ray|Subir Banerjee| Kanu [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/D41F3hWiAI0
Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity in Childhood
- Chapter 6 Alongside the Modern Model: The Pressure of ColonialismStearns, P. N. (2016) Chapter 6 Alongside the Modern Model: The Pressure of Colonialism. In Childhood in World HistoryProQuest Ebook Central
- Childhood and Atlantic SlaverySteven Mintz, "Childhood and Transatlantic Slavery," in Children and Youth in History, Item #57, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/57
- Chapter 12 African American Childhood (pdf on BB)Joseph E. Illick, “Chapter 12 African American Childhood,” In The Global History of Childhood, ed. Heidi Morrison. (pdf on BB)
- Incidents in The Life of A Slave Girl, Seven Years Concealed: I - XLI.Jacobs, H. (2001). Incidents in The Life of A Slave Girl, Seven Years Concealed: I - XLI. In H. Jacobs, Dover Thrift Editions. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (p. 8). Dover Publications. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2270700008/LITF?u=cuny_broo39667&sid=bookmark-LITF&xid=cd5005ea
- This is the History You Didn’t Learn in SchoolFYI: All CUNY members have free access to The New York Times. To access Create Account: New York Times
Citation: Mary Elliott and Jazmine Hughes’ essay “This is the History You Didn’t Learn in School” in NYT 1619 project - The Adventures of Tom SawyerTom Sayer. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
- Girlhood and Little WomenJulia Mickenberg, "Girlhood and Little Women," in Children and Youth in History, Item #80, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/80
- Little womenAlcott, L. M. (2014). Little women. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Margaret Mead, Coming of Age in Samoa [Photograph and Scholarly Text],"Margaret Mead, Coming of Age in Samoa [Photograph and Scholarly Text]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #329, https://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/items/show/329 Annotated by Miriam Forman-Brunell
Native American Childhood
- The Boarding School Experience in American Indian Literature.Bruchac, Joseph, and John Smelcer, The Boarding School Experience in American Indian Literature.
- Domesticating Colonizers: Domesticity, Indigenous Domestic Labor, and the Modern Settler Colonial NationHaskins, V. (2019). Domesticating Colonizers: Domesticity, Indigenous Domestic Labor, and the Modern Settler Colonial Nation. American Historical Review, 124(4), 1290–1301. https://doi-org.brooklyn.ezproxy.cuny.edu/10.1093/ahr/rhz647
- "Impressions of an Indian Childhood""Impressions of an Indian Childhood" by Zitkala-Sa [aka Gertrude Simmons Bonnin] (1876-1938)
- American Indian StoriesAmerican Indian Stories by Zitkala-Sa. Washington: Hayworth Publishing House, 1921. pp. 7-45.
The State and the Child
- Chapter 4 Historical Perspectives on llegitimacy and Illegitimates in Latin America,Milanich, Nara. "Chapter 4 Historical Perspectives on llegitimacy and Illegitimates in Latin America,” In Morrison, H. (2013). The Global History of Childhood Reader.
- Slave Women and Children [Law]Slave Women and Children [Law]. (an example from Africa). The George Mason University (GMU) website
- Did the British Empire depend on separating parents and children?CIGH Exeter (Centre for Imperial and Global History at the History Department, University of Exeter). (2018, Oct. 1) Did the British Empire depend on separating parents and children? Imperial & Global Forum Centre for Imperial and Global History at the History Department, University of Exeter
- The Ice KidsMukpo, Ashoka. (2021, Jun. 11) “The Ice Kids” ACLU
- The unexpected friend: A Rohingya children's story. (pdf)Rahman, R. R., & Russell, I. S. (2019). The unexpected friend: A Rohingya children's story.
Recuperating Children: Age and Voice
- Can the Girl Guide speak? The Perils and Pleasures of Looking for Children’s Voices in Archival ResearchAlexander, K. (2012). Can the girl guide speak? The perils and pleasures of looking for children's voices in archival research. Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, 4(1), 132+.
- Age as a Category of Historical Analysis: History, Agency, and Narratives of ChildhoodMary Jo Maynes,. "Age as a Category of Historical Analysis: History, Agency, and Narratives of Childhood." The Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth 1, no. 1 (2008): 114-124.
- Age as a Category of Gender Analysis: Servant Girls, Modern Girls, and Gender in Southeast Asia.Leow, R. (2012). Age as a Category of Gender Analysis: Servant Girls, Modern Girls, and Gender in Southeast Asia. The Journal of Asian Studies, 71(4), 975–990. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23357430
- Listen to the Child’: Law, Sex, and the Child Wife in Indian Historiography.Pande, I. (2013), ‘Listen to the Child’: Law, Sex, and the Child Wife in Indian Historiography. History Compass, 11: 687-701. https://doi-org.brooklyn.ezproxy.cuny.edu/10.1111/hic3.12077
- The Kids Aren’t All Right: Historians and the Problem of Childhood.Maza, S. (2020). The Kids Aren’t All Right: Historians and the Problem of Childhood. American Historical Review, 125(4), 1261–1285. https://doi-org.brooklyn.ezproxy.cuny.edu/10.1093/ahr/rhaa380
- Is the History of Childhood Ready for the World? A Response to “The Kids Aren’t All Right.”Pande, I. (2020). Is the History of Childhood Ready for the World? A Response to “The Kids Aren’t All Right.” American Historical Review, 125(4), 1300–1305. https://doi-org.brooklyn.ezproxy.cuny.edu/10.1093/ahr/rhaa383
Japan and China: Modern Childhood Across the World
- Chapter 7 Japan Adapts the New Model: A Process of Change in AsiaStearns, P. N. (2016). Chapter 7 Japan Adapts the New Model: A Process of Change in Asia In Childhood in world history. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Chapter 8 Childhood and Communist RevolutionsStearns, P. N. (2016). Chapter 8 Childhood and Communist Revolutions In Childhood in world history. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Chapter 9 Childhood in the Affluent SocietiesStearns, P. N. (2016). Chapter 9 Childhood in the Affluent Societies In Childhood in world history. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Chapter 10 Children in the Developing WorldsStearns, P. N. (2016). Chapter 10 Children in the Developing Worlds In Childhood in world history. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Chapter 2 Child-Rearing in the Nineteenth-Century.Uno, K. (1999). Chapter 2 Child-Rearing in the Nineteenth-Century. In Passages to Modernity: Motherhood, Childhood, and Social Reform in Early Twentieth-Century Japan (pp. 19-46). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824863883-004
- Case Study Maasai Murran as Rebellious Youth (20th c)Waller, Richard. Case Study Maasai Murran as Rebellious Youth (20th c). The George Mason University (GMU) website
Primary Sources
Childhood and War
- Chapter 11 The Dislocations of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries: Children Face War and ViolenceStearns, P. N. (2016). Chapter 11 The Dislocations of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries: Children Face War and Violence. In Childhood in World History. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Human Rights Watch site on Child LaborExplore the Human Rights Watch site on child labor
- Eugenics (1900-1960)HOSLAC (History of Science in Latin America and the Caribbean) (n.d) Eugenics (1900-1960) https://mypages.unh.edu/hoslac/book/eugenics-1900-1960
- Responsible Mothers and Normal Children: Eugenics, Nationalism, and Welfare in Post-revolutionary Mexico, 1920–1940.Stern, A.M. (1999), Responsible Mothers and Normal Children: Eugenics, Nationalism, and Welfare in Post-revolutionary Mexico, 1920–1940. Journal of Historical Sociology, 12: 369-397. https://doi-org.brooklyn.ezproxy.cuny.edu/10.1111/1467-6443.00097
- Savary, L.J. (2014). Vernacular Eugenics? Santati-Śāstra in Popular Hindi Advisory Literature (1900–1940). South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 37, 381 - 397.Savary, L.J. (2014). Vernacular Eugenics? Santati-Śāstra in Popular Hindi Advisory Literature (1900–1940). South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 37, 381 - 397.
Globalization and Childhood
- Chapter 12 Globalization and ChildhoodsStearns, P. N. (2016). Chapter 12 Globalization and Childhoods. In Childhood in World History. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Chapter 13 The Dilemma of Children’s HappinessStearns, P. N. (2016). Chapter 13 The Dilemma of Children’s Happiness. In Childhood in World History. ProQuest Ebook Central
- Conclusion: Childhoods from Past toward FutureStearns, P. N. (2016). Conclusion: Childhoods from Past toward Future. In Childhood in World History. ProQuest Ebook Central
- What is the Convention on the Rights of the Child?UNICEF. (n.d) What is the Convention on the Rights of the Child? The world’s most widely ratified human rights treaty in history.
Explore the site to listen to children’s voices and garner information on children around the globe. - Introduction: Children’s Lives and the Indian ContextBalagopalan, S. (2011) “Introduction: Children’s Lives and the Indian Context,” Childhood 2011, 18 (3): 291-297.
- Afterschool and during vacations”: on labor and schooling in the postcolony.Balagopalan, S. (2019). “Afterschool and during vacations”: on labor and schooling in the postcolony. Children’s Geographies, 17(2), 231–245. https://doi-org.brooklyn.ezproxy.cuny.edu/10.1080/14733285.2018.1490008
Childhood in the Margins
- Oishik Sircar and Debolina Datta, “Beyond Compassion: Children of Sex Workers in Kolkata’s Sonagachhi,” Childhood 18, No. 3 (2011): 333-349.
- Gilda Charrier, Edna Hernandez Gonzales and Jean-Marc Serme, “Childhoods and Inequalities in America” in IdeAs. Idées d'Amériques, Issue 22, 2023 https://journals.openedition.org/ideas/16679?lang=en
- Film: Born into Brothels: Calcutta’s Red Light Kids. Director Zana Briski. 2004 Documentary
The World of Non-Kin and Traveling Caregivers
- Visit the Exhibition Transcolonial Journeys of Indian and Chinese Caregivers
https://www.transcolonialjourneys.com/exhibition
- Swapna Banerjee, “Blurring boundaries, Distant companions: Non-kin Female Caregivers for Children in Colonial India (Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries). Paedagogica Historica 2010;46(6): 775-88. doi: 10.1080/00309230.2010.526345. PMID: 21280398.
- Film Roma (2018). Director Alfonso Cuarón
https://www.netflix.com/title/80240715
Recommended:
- Satya Shikha Chakraborty, “Mammies, Ayahs, Baboes: Postcards of Racialized Nursemaids from the early Twentieth Centuries,” Visual Culture and Gender, Vol. 13, 2018.
https://vcg.emitto.net/index.php/vcg/article/view/111
- Swapna Banerjee, “Down Memory Lane: Representations of Domestic Workers in Middle-Class Personal Narratives of Colonial Bengal,” Journal of Social History, 2004, 37(3): 681-708
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