Five children and a paradigm: The cultural construction of romantic and utilitarian concepts of childhood

Abstract

This thesis identifies and challenges two distinct modes of describing contemporary childhood and traces these two modes to their roots in the philosophies of mind that engendered the Enlightemnent. It is argued that these two modes, labelled for ease of reference Romantic and Utilitarian as culturally constructed during the Enlightenment are no longer capable of containing the meaning of childhood within a rapidly changing technological environment.
Furthermore, it is argued that the adherents to these two modes perpetuate a continuous debate between these ideas of childhood that is inconclusive and as such does a disservice to children.
By adopting a multi-disciplinary approach this thesis contributes to the body of work already existing on childhood development by contextulising the research within cultural studies. This approach enables childhood to be seen as a cultural
construct within human social development rather than as a 'unique' time that is preserved by adults for each subsequent generation of children.
Returning childhood to the 'mainstream' of society not only enables a negotiated settlement between the two modes of childhood to be proposed but also suggests a unique way or remodelling childhood that engages with the social, cultural, scientific and teclmological developments that are and will be faced by contemporary and future generations.