Childhood and time: the WEIRD obsession for the chronologization of childhood development
Abstract
The article analyzes the relationship between childhood and time considering two dimensions: 1. Children’s ontogenetic development; 2. Children's daily routines. Regarding the first one, I reflect on the impact of the chronologization of life in the construction of models and approaches to child development from the developmental disciplines and raise contemporary criticisms of these models. As for the second, I focus on the effects of the chronologization of life on child-rearing routines and the segregation of boys and girls in differentiated spaces and activities. In both, I emphasize the need for revision of assumptions that underpin these representations of childhood and development as part of a WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) cultural model. This model is a product of social and scientific development in the West, however, it is often assumed to be universal and normal. I discuss the implications of considering only one of the multiple temporalities involved in human development and the social and cultural construction of life trajectories. The article is based on a literature review and data coming from my ethnographic research on childhood and parenting in rural and indigenous communities in Argentina.
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