Abstract
In this chapter, the author explores diverse constructs of childhood in academic discourse and in lived experiences of the children. It discusses the various aspects and dimensions in which childhood is conceptualized theoretically and in children’s interpretations in varied social contexts. It stresses the need to accommodate and validate the construct of “multiple childhoods”, rooted in everyday experiences of growing up in a specific community and how these experiences highlight the differences and variations in understanding adult–child relations, roles and responsibilities of children, peer interactions, expectations from schooling, and future aspirations of children. This chapter has accounts of the author’s childhood experiences and experiences of the children of Bodhshala school in a village of Uttarakhand.
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Aneja, M. (2018). Childhood: Theoretical Perspectives and Lived Realities. In: Kapur, V., Ghose, S. (eds) Dynamic Learning Spaces in Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8521-5_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8521-5_21
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