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Material as actor in the enactment of social norms: Engaging with a sociomaterial perspective in childhood studies to avoid the ‘traps of closure’
Author(s) -
Sørenssen Ingvild Kvale,
Franck Karianne
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
children and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-0860
pISSN - 0951-0605
DOI - 10.1111/chso.12438
Subject(s) - perspective (graphical) , sociology , early childhood education , field (mathematics) , closure (psychology) , pedagogy , institution , early childhood , epistemology , psychology , social science , developmental psychology , political science , philosophy , mathematics , pure mathematics , law , artificial intelligence , computer science
This article employs a sociomaterial perspective and explores how material artefacts take part in the enactment of social norms by analysing empirical examples from two different childhood studies projects in Norway. Drawing on interview data with tweens, (children aged 8–12), and observational data from an early education and care institution (ECEC), we argue that material, in this case toys and makeup, make a difference in the enactment of social norms in children's everyday lives. Our aim is to demonstrate the malleability of a sociomaterial perspective and show how this can lead to new insights and open childhood studies as a field.