Troubling children
Subtitle: studies of children and social problems
By: Joel Best, editor.
Contributors: Best, Joel.
Series: Social problems and social issues
Publisher: Aldine de Gruyter
Published: 1994
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 253
Subjects: Children -- Social conditions; Social problems
Description: Increasingly, sociologists have turned their attention to the social problems of children - in particular, of younger children. This collection reflects those recent interests. While most researchers have focused on social problems involving adolescents, this volume offers instead original case studies of problems concerning preadolescent children.

The papers that Best has gathered here represent different theoretical and methodological approaches. They report on social issues in Albania, Kenya, and Japan as well as in the United States. The range of social problems they address is a wide one, from broad societal crises to decision-making within families.

Topics include the effects of economic and social crises in Africa and Eastern Europe; concerns about crack use and other forms of fetal endangerment; parental decisions about spanking, toy choices, and letting children listen to rock music; schooling in day care and elementary and junior high schools; and children's perceptions of environmental crises.

Troubling Children adds a new dimension to courses in social problems. It also offers a different set of perspectives for those concerned with sociology of preadolescent children and their discontents.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.