Children's culture
Encyclopedia
Children's culture can be defined in a great number of ways and can be a broad category. In recent times the study of children's cultural artifact
s, children's media
and literature
and the myths and discourse
s spun around the notion of childhood
have all come under scrutiny within academia
, primarily in cultural studies
, media studies
and literature
departments.
Cultural artifact
A cultural artifact is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology, and sociology for anything created by humans which gives information about the culture of its creator and users...
s, children's media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
and literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
and the myths and discourse
Discourse
Discourse generally refers to "written or spoken communication". The following are three more specific definitions:...
s spun around the notion of childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
have all come under scrutiny within academia
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
, primarily in cultural studies
Cultural studies
Cultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...
, media studies
Media studies
Media studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
departments.
See also
- Center on Media and Child HealthCenter on Media and Child HealthThe Center on Media and Child Health is a non-profit organization based at Children’s Hospital Boston. CMCH was founded in 2002, by Dr...
(CMCH) - Children's songChildren's songChildren's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that young children invent and share among themselves, or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home, or education...
- Children's street cultureChildren's street cultureChildren's street culture refers to the cumulative culture created by young children. Collectively, this body of knowledge is passed down from one generation of urban children to the next, and can also be passed between different groups of children . It is most common in children between the ages...
- Children's geographiesChildren's geographiesChildren's geographies is an area of study within human geography and Childhood Studies which involves researching the places and spaces of children's lives....
Further reading
- The Children's Culture Reader (1998), edited by Henry JenkinsHenry JenkinsHenry Jenkins III is an American media scholar and currently a Provost Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts, a joint professorship at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the USC School of Cinematic Arts...
, collects a diverse range of approaches and insights into synchronic and diachronic formulations of childhoodChildhoodChildhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
.
External links
- Henry Jenkins – Children's Culture - Jenkins' MIT homepage has a section devoted to children's culture.