Cross-cultural differences (Non-western childhood)

• What is Benedict’s evidence for childhood being a social construct, In a non-Western childhood?

  (Benedict)- Children in simpler non-western societies are treated different from their western counterparts and there is less of a dividing line between childhood and adulthood.
• What is Holmes’ evidence of childhood being a social construct, in a Non-Western society?

  (Holmes)- Study in a Samoan village found that being ‘too young’ was not an excuse for a child to not do something.
• What was Punch’s evidence for why childhood is a social construct, in a non-Western society?

  (Punch)- Study of children in rural Bolivia found that they worked and took on household responsibilities at the age of 5, and this was done without hesitation or question.
• What is Malinowski’s evidence for childhood being a social construct, in a non-Western society?

  (Malinowski)-Children‘s sexual behaviour is often viewed differently.He studied indigenous islanders on a pacific island and found saw they found child sexual exploration curious and amusing.
• What is Firth‘s evidence for childhood being a social construct, in a non-Western society?

  (Firth) - Studied islanders in the western pacific, and found that a child’s obedience to their parents was a concession to be granted by the child and not a right expected by adults.
• What was Benedict’s evidence for childhood being a social construct, in a non-Western society?

  (Benedict) - In many non-industrial cultures, there is less of a dividing line between the behaviour expected of children and that expected of adults. Therefore highlighting the key idea that childhood is not a fixed thing and is different across all human societies.