Governing the liberated child with self-managed family displays. (November 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Haldar, Marit; Engebretsen, Eivind
• Is Part Of: Childhood. Volume 21:Number 4(2014:Nov.)
• Page Start: 475
• Page End: 487
• Publication Date: 2014-11
• Subjects: Childhood -- circulation -- governmentality -- power -- self-management; Children -- Periodicals; Child development -- Periodicals; Children -- Research -- Periodicals; 305.23
• DOI: 10.1177/0907568213508589
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0907-5682

Abstract

The 1990s witnessed the replacement of psychological perspectives seeing children as 'becomings' to a view of them as 'beings'. This is challenged by the Foucauldian concept of governmentality understood as technologies of self-making actors capable of monitoring and controlling their own behaviour. This concept is central in the present study of so-called teddy-diaries, which are texts written by first graders and their parents and circulated among other families as part of the Norwegian school curriculum. A key finding of the analyses is that these circulated and displayed texts represent technologies for governing families – especially in reinforcing expectations about how 'normal' childhood and family life should be lived.