The sociology of childhood in Brazil: a field under construction

Abstract

This article discusses the history of Childhood Sociology in Europe and in the Anglo-Saxon countries to propose, from this point of view, some possibilities and the necessary theoretical inflections to think about Childhood Sociology in Brazil. From a debate within the Childhood Sociology, we intend to understand the meaning of speaking about children and childhood from the base established by this field, that gives to the child both the roles of subject and protagonist of history and socialization processes. That is, the child is understood as a social subject able to assign meanings and their own unusual culture. This paper aims to develop a reflection about the use of the Childhood Sociology in Brazil because, unlike the European context, our country has specific characteristics that should be considered from this theoretical and methodological frame in research on children. The purpose of the article is guided into taking in account the differences, considering the relationship among racial issues, gender, sexuality and social class that should be thought as lines running through the debate about children and childhood, from their point of view. The themes of difference, diversity and otherness are essential to understand what is being called a “culture of childhood”, as well as the understanding of children as ‘social actor’.