History 697Z - History of Childhood & Youth

This seminar will consider the history of childhood and youth in its global context. Beginning with the presumption that age as an important category of analysis, we will critically interrogate changing ideals and experiences of childhood and youth across time. Using studies of child soldiers in Africa and children in the American Civil war, we will investigate the impact of war in different contexts. From comparative studies of child policies in Europe, North America, and Asia, we will consider how and when different nations have chosen to invest state resources in their children. We will also draw on a rich historical literature on children's culture to explore shifting patterns of agency and authority in the wake of industrialization, modernization, and now digitization. Students will leave this seminar with a broad understanding of this emerging field of historical scholarship and its value to historical inquiry more generally.

Open to Doctoral and Masters History students only.