颁别惭辞搁别鈥檚听Mobile Kitchenette, the听pandemic induced听virtual replacement for听the little chats we usually have in the office kitchen, is听fast becoming one of my听favourite听features of researching within听CeMoRe. It provides an opportunity for members听and affiliates听辞蹿听CeMoRe听to discuss their own research and provide helpful insight to others听(something as a first year PhD student, I greatly appreciate)听over a brew and some biscuits.听听
In the most recent kitchenette, which took place on 20th听January, Nicola Spurling and I led the discussion on children鈥檚 mobilities. A topic that we have both been听focusing听on in our own research, mine in my PhD research on children鈥檚 agency in climate change, and Nicola in her DecarboN8 project.听听
I began the session by discussing Sue Milne鈥檚听(2009)听article,听鈥Moving into and through the public world: children鈥檚 perspectives on their encounters with adults鈥, in which children living in Scotland remarked on their听mobility through their local environment. The article听highlighted听that as children moved through public space, they became aware of听their听perceived 鈥榗hild听蝉迟补迟耻蝉鈥听reflected in the听treatment they received from adults and their limited agency to participate and move through public spaces. This prompted insightful comments and recommendations for further research from participants including Colin Pooley, Stephanie听Sodero听and Lynne Pearce, including a discussion surrounding children鈥檚 agentic mobilities and听how children鈥檚 constraints and freedoms听have changed听over time.听This has prompted me to further investigate ideas of agentic mobility in reference to children鈥檚 involvement in climate change听and how imagined mobilities of power and agency can extend into the physical world. – proving the kitchenette to be both enjoyable听and听productive!听
Nicola听introduced听听Barker听et听补濒鈥檚听(2009)听The Road Less Travelled, which forms the introduction to a special issue of Mobilities Journal听focused听on children鈥檚 mobilities.听听This听article听provides a useful introduction to some of the key debates on children & young peoples鈥 mobility, and the key disciplines that have researched this topic to date. In particular, and for those new to the field of children鈥檚 mobilities, it highlights three听key听conceptual听reframings听that social scientists have contributed to psychological, deterministic and positivistic models of child development. Namely,听contra 鈥榗hild development鈥 models there is no such thing as the universal child; contra traditional approaches, children should not be听conceptualised听or treated as 鈥榝uture adults鈥, but rather understood as social agents听in their own right; and听finally听that听childhood is a social construction that is disproportionately shaped by adult expectations.听The discussion ranged across how children and young people could and should be involved in听decarbonising听mobilities, approaches to researching future mobilities,听and the recognition that assumptions about 鈥榗hildhood鈥 and adult mobilities are听problematic, and听create听idealised听mobilities that听are by听no means听experienced or accessible across听the听board.听听听
The next kitchenette will be taking place on 3rd听March, focusing on mobilities and Art, facilitated by Manu听Bruggemann, please see the听event page听for more information.听听
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The references听discussed in this blogpost are:听听
Milne, S. (2009). Moving into and through the public world: children’s perspectives on their encounters with adults.听Mobilities. 4(1), 103-118.听
Barker, J.,听Kraftl, P., Horton, J. and Tucker, F. (2009) The Road Less Travelled? New Directions in Children鈥檚 and Young People鈥檚 Mobility,听Mobilities,听v.4:1, 1-10.听
