This landmark publication from Routledge reflects the widespread recognition of Childhood Studies as a significant and mature area of cross-disciplinary study and research. And as serious scholarly work in and around Childhood Studies blossoms as never before, this new four-volume collection from Routledge’s acclaimed Critical Concepts in the Social Sciences series meets the need for an authoritative reference work to make sense of a rapidly growing and ever more complex corpus of literature.

With contributions from a broad range of disciplines (including Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work, Education, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, History, Geography, and Law), Childhood Studies assembles the key theoretical and empirical major works in a ‘one-stop’ resource. It covers themes such as: generational relations; everyday lives; practice and participation; and children’s rights and their place in the world. The collection shows how Childhood Studies has widened its focus from developmental issues to the broader concerns of children in society, as actors and agents, and as subjects of policy intervention. Edited by a leading scholar, Childhood Studies is an indispensable resource for all those concerned with the study of children and childhood.