History of Childhood

The course attempts to provide an introduction and understanding of the concepts of ‘childhood’ and ‘youth’ by employing tools of social history and anthropology. By highlighting the human bonds (social, financial and political) affecting or determining the position and choices of people in Europe from the late Middle Ages till the 20th century, certain parameters of these two historic categories are investigated. Some of the main issues that are investigated are the human reproduction and the child’s state in its family and social environment, the education as a formation and socio-political control, the integration of children and young people in the society as well as the forms of child labor and expression of childhood autonomy.
The main goal of the course is to highlight the variation of the social categories of ‘childhood’ and ‘youth’ in the historic space and time.