Take a look at the following titles from Oxford University Press: Bernard, Thomas J. (1992) The cycle of juvenile justice New York: Oxford University Pres Feld, Barry C. (1999). Bad kids : race and the transformation of the juvenile court. New York: Oxford University Press. Both provide compelling accounts of how the "idea" of childhood has changed historically in Western societies. They are limited, though insofar as they exclude changing conceptions of childhood in Eastern, African, cultures...If anyone else has suggestions for cross-cultural study of evolution of "chidhood", I'd be grateful... Both Feld and Bernard draw heavily on the work of Philippe Aries: Aries, Philippe. (1966) The World of children. London: Hamlyn What becomes clear from these readings is that, at least in western societies, the idea of children evolved from viewing them as virtually nonexistant (in part because of very high infant mortality rates up until 16th c.), to little people (who participated in all of the behaviors and vices as adults), to the more "modern" conception of children as malleable, (unlike adults who are "set in their ways"). Of course these changes weren't simply determined by lower infant mortality rates and parents developing stronger attachments to children, but also by ideas about morality emerging during late 19th c. that coincided with rise in protestant christianity (e.g., notion of original sin) that suggested adults were beyond "salvation" and providing children with proper moral upbringing may help ensure eternal salvation... But children also became focus of "child savers", (see Platt, Anthony M. (1977). The child savers : the invention of delinquency. Chicago: University of Chicago Press) for a discussion of emergence of social work as a profession and juvenile court as an institution...Platt argues basically that juvenile court emerged as a tool to manage "other people's children" (e.g., immigrant and working class families) and has been a very destructive force in the lives of many children. Thus, according to Platt, conception of children evolved to reflect concerns of white Protestant middle and upper class rural (values orientation) population - this is of course, the same population that rallied around Temperance ideology... So, there does seem to be an intersection between rise in Temperance ideology and changing ideas of childhood. My apologies if I've rambled but this is one tangent of my dissertation research... Regards, Josh Meisel On Mon, 30 Apr 2001, David Fahey wrote: > The more I study alcohol history the more that I begin to realize the > extent of my ignorance. Perhaps ATHG subscribers can help me in regards > youth and alcoholic beverages. I assume that a large part of the problem > is how a society defines childhood. For instance, in recent years in the > USA, childhood has been both enlarged chronologically (university students > are not expected to be as responsible for their actions as had people of > the same age a hundred years previously) and also narrowed (adult rights in > voting and sexuality for teenagers). I assume too that the varying role of > formal law in different societies is relevant, as is the kind of alcoholic > beverages (for instance, wine or whiskey, low-alcohol beer or regular beer, > etc.). And, of course, minimum legal ages for drinking seldom coincide > with practice. There are all sorts of other considerations, as for > example, religion (notably, Islam) and the role alcohol plays in social > rituals, etc. Any suggestions? > > David M. Fahey Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA <[log in to unmask]> > Josh Meisel Department of Sociology CB 327 University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309-0327