Discovering Childhood in International Relations

This book examines how and why, in the context of International Relations, children’s subjecthood has all too often been relegated to marginal terrains and children themselves automatically associated with the need for protection in vulnerable situations: as child soldiers, refugees, and conflated with women, all typically with the accent on the Global South. Challenging us to think critically about childhood as a technology of global governance, the authors explore alternative ways of finding children and their agency in a more central position in IR, in terms of various forms of children’s activism, children and climate change, children and security, children and resilience, and in their inevitable role in governing the future. Focusing on the problems, pitfalls, promises, and prospects of addressing children and childhoods in International Relations, this book places children more squarely in the purview of political subjecthood and hence more centrally in IR. 

“‘What does IR have to offer to children?’ What a radical question for all of us! Marshall Beier and his smart contributors help us to transform the social practice of IR. Girls and boys will never look the same. Neither will IR.” (Cynthia Enloe, Research Professor, Clark University, UK)

“Discovering Childhood in International Relations establishes childhood research as a crucial site of theory-building and knowledge in IR, and significantly advances this emerging and important body of research in the field.” (Cecilia Jacob, Senior Lecturer, The Australian National University, Australia)

“This original and engaging collection illustrates how understandings of International Relations can be enhanced by taking children and childhood seriously. This is essential reading for anyone interested in IR and the Social Studies of Childhood more broadly.” (Matthew Benwell, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Newcastle University, UK)

“Discovering Childhood gathers leading experts to reveal, in a compelling way, why we should take children more seriously both as active agents and as producers and bearers of knowledge.” (Roland Bleiker, Professor of International Relations, University of Queensland, Australia)

“Almost one-third of the global population is younger than eighteen. Beier’s introduction and collection of essays by leading scholars illuminates what is at stake, and provides an urgently needed and substantively rich research platform to learn from and build upon.” (V. Spike Peterson, Professor of International Relations, University of Arizona, USA)

Marshall Beier is a Professor of Political Science at McMaster University, Canada.