Mission Statement

The Anthropology of Children Working Group brings together academics and practitioners engaged in research and work with children.

Motivation

The impetus to form this Working Group is the neglect of children’s voices, perceptions and realities in research and practice. It is our epistemological stance that children are simultaneously socialised in their local social and cultural settings, and act as constructors of social environments and interpreters of culture. The concept of children is defined within its relational, cultural and local contexts in which age ranges and characteristics of who are considered to be children vary.

Aims

• The Working Group is meant to promote child-oriented approaches to children studies and to develop theory useful to e.g. cognitive and social sciences, with an accent on anthropology; 
• The Working Group is committed to discussing and developing child-oriented methodologies; 
• Ethical issues concerning research and work with children are at the core of our attention; 
• The Working Group wishes to inspire (interdisciplinary) academic research and enhance dialogue with practitioners through joint research projects, publications and conferences with national (Dutch) and international partners.

Organization and coordination

The Working Group holds monthly seminars and coordinates other forms of exchange (e.g. website, mailing list, newsletters). The Working Group is directed by Dr Sandra J.T.M. Evers under the auspices of the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, VU University Amsterdam.

Contact details