adultism: societal negative prejudice against children (akin to sexism, racism or anti-Semitism)
agency: the capacity to choose, act and influence matters; to ‘make a difference’
anti-racism: the practice or policy of identifying, addressing and opposing racism
childhood: generally accepted to be the first period in the human lifespan, understood differently depending on geographical, cultural and historical contexts
childhood studies: an interdisciplinary scholarly field dedicated to the critical interrogation of childhoods and children’s lives in research, policy and practice
childism: deconstructs adultism and reconstructs social norms to be inclusive of children
decolonization: a practice that aims to challenge and undo historical and ongoing processes of colonialism, with a focus on intellectual, emotional, economic and political reversal of colonial injustices; in childhood studies, can additionally refer to deconstructing dominant models of childhood and promoting exploration of children’s varied positionalities with the ongoing influences of colonialism and racism
deficits-based approach: an approach which emphasizes children and young people as risks or problems requiring intervention; in opposition to strengths-based, an approach which emphasizes children and young people’s strengths and the ability to build on these characteristics
discipline: broadly, a field of study or shared branch of knowledge which is constituted by ongoing processes of discourse and boundary making
drivers: (in relation to violence) institutional and structural factors that create conditions in which violence is more or less likely to happen
early childhood: the first period of children’s lives, often described from birth until five (and sometimes eight) years of age
embodied (embodiment): a recognition that bodies are not only biological entities but also socially and culturally constructed, and sites of discipline and differentiation
gender: commonly understood to describe the socially constructed roles that men and women inhabit in society; biological and socialization theories emphasize binary understandings of gender (female/male) while post-structuralist and queer theories challenge binaries and gender norms
generational order (generationing): social ordering through age-based social categories (e.g. children as a social category)
global North (or Global North)/global South (or Global South): denotes how different countries in the Northern and Southern hemisphere are commonly grouped together in terms of their socio-economic and political histories and contexts; critiqued as a euphemism for previous, more value-laden terms (e.g. ‘developing/developed countries’) and for obscuring colonial legacies
human rights: rights that are inherent to all human beings, recognizing and protecting their human dignity; such rights apply to how people live in society and with each other, often enshrined in international human rights law
intersectional (intersectionality): critical theoretical framework and praxis connoting the impact of interrelated social categories (e.g. gender, race, class) in relation to marginalization and power
positionality: the impact of an individual’s subjectivities (e.g. field, geography, identities, epistemology) upon their perspective
praxis (radical praxis): refers to the enactment of theories and ideas, with a focus on action and process
race/ethnicity: terms often used to describe people’s identities based on histories, culture, language, nationality or religion; the concept of race derives from long disproved theories around biological or physical traits but retains a close link with skin colour, whereas ethnicity is often seen as self-identified and emphasizes social and cultural belonging
risk and protective factors (of violence): factors that reflect the likelihood of violence occurring due to individual, interpersonal and community level characteristics
social construction of childhood: a theoretical approach to understanding how children and childhood are seen; particularly emphasizing childhood as a relational concept, variable to context, history, time and space
social constructivism: theoretical paradigm which sees reality and knowledge as constructed within individuals
social justice: as conceptualized by Honneth, a person’s right to be treated with regard/care, to be entitled to legal rights and to be recognized as having attributes and strengths
socio-ecological framework: a critical tool for understanding how environmental factors influencing an individual interact within and between a number of physical, social, political and economic levels
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): seventeen goals which form the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC): international law passed by the United Nations Assembly in 1989, which addresses the economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights of children
young people/youth: a later period in the life of children, often associated with ages 12–18 or 12–25
.
