RESEARCH AND CHILDHOOD

From the Invisibility of the Past to the Challenges of the Present and Future

Abstract

For an extended period, the discussion of childhood and the knowledge construction processes that would secure a place for children was a significantly neglected aspect. The contribution of fields such as the sociology of childhood, the pedagogy of early childhood, or, in a more interdisciplinary manner, Childhood Studies, has been fundamental. By advocating for childhood and children as an autonomous object of study, these fields initiated a crucial movement that repositioned children from being 'measured objects' to 'subjects participating in research' (author, 2022) [1]. This article aims to characterize this movement by structuring its argument around three distinct phases (or movements): Beyond Subalternity, Beyond Objectification, and Beyond Ethicomocide. These phases represent critical shifts in the processes of knowledge construction that create space for children as author-subjects. Furthermore, throughout these three identified movements, the article will mobilize various emerging challenges to share reflections that enable childhood researchers to develop robust conceptual and methodological frameworks for a more effective engagement with the complexities faced by children in the 21st century.