Children of the Welfare State : Civilising Practices in Schools, Childcare and Families

Laura Gilliam

ISBN 10: 0745336043 / ISBN 13: 9780745336046

Published by Pluto Press Jan 2017, 2017

About this Item

Neuware - This original ethnographic study looks at how children are 'civilised' within child institutions, such as schools, day care centres and families, under the auspices of the welfare state. As part of a general discussion on civilising projects and the role of state institutions, the authors focus on Denmark, a country characterised by the extent of time children use in public institutions from an early age. They look at the extraordinary amount of attention and effort put into the process of upbringing by the state, as well as the widespread co-operation in this by parents across the social spectrum. Taking as its point of departure the sociologist Norbert Elias' concept of civilising, Children of the Welfare State explores the ideals of civilised conduct expressed through institutional upbringing and examine how children of different age, gender, ethnicity and social backgrounds experience and react to these norms and efforts. The analysis demonstrates that welfare state institutions, though characterised by a strong egalitarian ideal, create distinctions between social groups, teach children about moral hierarchies in society and prompts them to identify as more or less civilised citizens of the state.

Seller Inventory # 9780745336046

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Children of the Welfare State : Civilising Practices in Schools, Childcare and Families
• Publisher: Pluto Press Jan 2017
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0745336043
• ISBN 13: 9780745336046
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 215W x 138H x 24D millimeters 215 millimeters width by 138 millimeters height by 24 millimeters depth
• Weight: 380 grams

About this title

Synopsis

This original ethnographic study looks at how children are ‘civilised’ within child institutions, such as schools, day care centres and families, under the auspices of the welfare state.   As part of a general discussion on civilising projects and the role of state institutions, the authors focus on Denmark, a country characterised by the extent of time children use in public institutions from an early age. They look at the extraordinary amount of attention and effort put into the process of upbringing by the state, as well as the widespread co-operation in this by parents across the social spectrum.   Taking as its point of departure the sociologist Norbert Elias’ concept of civilising, Children of the Welfare State explores the ideals of civilised conduct expressed through institutional upbringing and examine how children of different age, gender, ethnicity and social backgrounds experience and react to these norms and efforts. The analysis demonstrates that welfare state institutions, though characterised by a strong egalitarian ideal, create distinctions between social groups, teach children about moral hierarchies in society and prompts them to identify as more or less civilised citizens of the state.

About the Author

Laura Gilliam is Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Anthropology, School of Education, at the University of Aarhus, Denmark. She is the co-author of Children of the Welfare State (Pluto, 2016).