Philosophy of Childhood: Exploring the Boundaries

December 27, 2014 - December 30, 2014
Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children

Philadelphia
United States

View the Call For Papers

Talks at this conference

Add a talk

Details

Announcing a Special Symposium by the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children to be chaired by Dr. David Kennedy at the  2014 American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division Annual Meeting, December 27-30 at the Downtown Marriott in Philadelphia, PA.

Overview: As a field of inquiry, philosophy of childhood is both old and new. Its origins can be found in various inquiries into mythology, religion, spirituality, art, and cultural practice (e.g. Jung & Kerenyi, 1969). Although it has always played some part in philosophical discourse (Turner & Matthews, 1998), its emergence as a field of postmodern theory follows the rise, in the late 19th century, of psychoanalysis, for which childhood is a key signifier.  Also, in the mid 20th century Philipe Aries seminal work Centuries of Childhood (1965) introduced the master-concept of childhood as a social and cultural invention, thereby weakening the strong grip of biological metaphors on imagining childhood. Today, while philosophy of childhood per se is a relatively boundary-less field, it is one in which philosophy is present in both foreground and background. In the foreground, expressions of childhood as ontological signifier are found in J-F. Lyotard’s (1992) “abject,” Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s (1980) “becoming child,” and Walter Kohan’s (2012) “aionic child.”  Gareth Matthews’ The Philosophy of Childhood (1996) explores the field from the idea of the child as philosopher.  David Kennedy’s The Well of Being(2006) undertakes a philosophically grounded analysis of the history of childhood, the history of adulthood, and their interrelationship. In the background, the new constructivist sociology of childhood (Jenks, 2005) and the child as represented in cultural studies are strongly tinged with philosophical concepts. Legal and juridical perspectives, particularly the extensive literature on children’s rights (Ladd, 1995), are grounded in philosophical speculation on personhood (Cassidy, 2007). In addition, texts and inquiries with philosophical elements and dimensions abound in the history of childhood, anthropology of childhood, childhood and psychoanalysis, film, literature and the arts, and childhood and education. 

Questions or Comments: David Kennedy, Montclair State University,[email protected]

Supporting material

Add supporting material (slides, programs, etc.)

Reminders

Registration

No

Who is attending?

No one has said they will attend yet.

Will you attend this event?


Let us know so we can notify you of any change of plan.