Owain Jones
'True geography [ ] quickly forgotten, giving away to an adult-imagined universe'. Approaching the otherness of childhood
Jones, Owain
Authors
Abstract
In this paper I seek to explore the idea of the otherness of childhood. I suggest that there are considerable differences between the becomings of children and the becomings of adults. In the face of these a number of questions need to be asked about adult-childhood relations in society and about academic approaches to children and childhood, particularly in terms of representing childhood and the implications of such representing. The paper sets out the idea of otherness, locates this within current debate about the crisis of childhood, and then argues that non-representational approaches might be particularly relevant to progressing children's geographies. These approaches stress modesty, practice, experimentation, messiness, creativity and openness. As we age, childhood becomes another country, a disputed territory of memory and meaning. Its true geography is quickly forgotten, giving away to an adult-imagined universe. The contemporary adult vision of childhood has become so distorted as to render it opaque, and this opacity is seriously affecting how children grow up today. (Brooks 2006, pp. 4-5). © 2008 Taylor & Francis.
Citation
Jones, O. (2008). 'True geography [ ] quickly forgotten, giving away to an adult-imagined universe'. Approaching the otherness of childhood. Children's Geographies, 6(2), 195-212. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733280801963193
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Publication Date | Dec 1, 2008 |
Deposit Date | Jan 6, 2011 |
Publicly Available Date | Sep 20, 2016 |
Journal | Children's Geographies |
Print ISSN | 1473-3285 |
Electronic ISSN | 1473-3277 |
Publisher | Taylor & Francis (Routledge) |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 6 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 195-212 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1080/14733280801963193 |
Keywords | children, childhood, otherness, non-representational theory, play, witnessing |
Public URL | https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1019583 |
Publisher URL | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14733280801963193 |
Files
6_Final_OwainJones_(2).doc
(148 Kb)
Document
6_Final_OwainJones_(2).pdf
(289 Kb)
PDF