Children's Rights and Power: Charging Up for a New Century (Children in Charge 9)

304 Pages·2003·1.01 MB·english

by  Mary John

Children’s Rights and Power
ChildreninChargeseries
Editor:MaryJohn
Thisseriesconcentratesonthethemeofchildren’srights,reflectingtheincreasing
knowledge in the area. The perspectives of empowerment and of ‘voice’ run
throughtheseries,andtheUnitedNations’ConventionontheRightsoftheChild
isusedasabenchmark.Theeditor,MaryJohn,isadevelopmentalpsychologist,an
emeritusprofessorattheUniversityofExeter,andhonoraryadvisertotheChild-
hoodandYouthPolicyUnitattheUniversityofWestSydney.Shehasworkedin
the field of disability rehabilitation and independent living and has researched
with minority rights groups.
Children’s Rights in Education
Edited by Stuart Hart, Cynthia Price Cohen, Martha Farrell Erickson
and Målfrid Flekkøy
ISBN 1 85302 977 7
Children in Charge 11
Young Children’s Rights
Exploring Beliefs, Principles and Practice
Priscilla Alderson
ISBN 1 85302 880 0
Children in Charge 10
Traveller Children
A Voice for Themselves
Cathy Kiddle
ISBN 1 85302 684 0
Children in Charge 8
Educational Citizenship and Independent Learning
Rhys Griffith
ISBN 1 85302 611 5
Children in Charge 6
Children as Citizens
Education for Participation
Edited by Cathie Holden and Nick Clough
ISBN 1 85302 566 6
Children in Charge 5
A Charge Against Society
The Child’s Right to Protection
Edited by Mary John
ISBN 1 85302 411 2
Children in Charge 3
CHILDRENINCHARGE 9
Children’s Rights and Power
Charging Up for a New Century
Mary John
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia
Cover photograph ofMollie Malbran by Carolina Malbran from the publicity poster for
a theatre productionBig Bang – a Voyage ofDiscovery about Children’s Rights. Courtesy of
La Mancha School ofImage and Gesture, and Theatre Company, Santiago, Chile.
All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced in any material form
(including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether
or not transiently or incidentally to some other use ofthis publication) without the
written permission ofthe copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms ofa licence issued by
the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, England
W1T 4LP. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any
part ofthis publication should be addressed to the publisher.
Warning: The doing ofan unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result
in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.
The right ofMary John to be identified as author ofthis work has been asserted by her
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in the United Kingdom in 2003
by Jessica Kingsley Publishers
116 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JB, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.jkp.com
Copyright © Mary John 2003
Library ofCongress Cataloging in Publication Data
John, Mary.
Children’s rights and power : charging up for a new century/Mary John.
p. cm. – (Children in charge series ; 9)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-85302-659-X (pbk : alk. paper) --ISBN 1-85302-658-1 (cloth : alk. Paper)
1. Children’s rights. 2. Children. 3. Power (Social Sciences) I. Title. II. Series.
HQ789. J64 2003
305.23--dc
2002040727
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN-13: 978 1 85302 658 4 hardback
ISBN-10: 1 85302 658 1 hardback
ISBN pdfeBook: 1 84642 027 X hardback
Printed and Bound in Great Britain by
Athenaeum Press, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
For Cerys
Warmly welcome little torch bearer
for the next generation of the family

Contents
Acknowledgements 9
Preface 11
Part I Powerful People
Chapter 1 ‘As If’: Multiple Representations of the Person 17
Chapter 2 The Fourth ‘P’: The Issue of Power 45
Part II Children and the Economy
Chapter 3 Counting 75
Chapter 4 Spending: ‘Cool’ Consumers: Purchasers
or Purchased? 104
Part III Enduring and Surviving
Chapter 5 Whatever Makes You Stronger… 133
Chapter 6 Warriors and Workers 164
Part IV Children in Charge
Chapter 7 Children at Large: Agency, Participation,
Politics and Democracy 195
Chapter 8 Young Citizens in Action 224
Part V Eternal Children?
Chapter 9 Moving On 255
References 271
Further Sources ofInformation 292
Subject Index 293
Author Index 301