States of Childhood

A number of curious communities sprang up across the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century: simulated cities, states, and nations in which children played the roles of legislators, police officers, bankers, journalists, shopkeepers, and other adults. They performed real wo...

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Main Author: Light, Jennifer S.
Format: Online
Language:English
Published: The MIT Press 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:ONIX_20220221_9780262358606_106
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author Light, Jennifer S.
author_browse Light, Jennifer S.
author_facet Light, Jennifer S.
author_sort Light, Jennifer S.
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description A number of curious communities sprang up across the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century: simulated cities, states, and nations in which children played the roles of legislators, police officers, bankers, journalists, shopkeepers, and other adults. They performed real work—passing laws, growing food, and constructing buildings, among other tasks—inside virtual worlds. In this book, Jennifer Light examines the phenomena of “junior republics” and argues that they marked the transition to a new kind of “sheltered” childhood for American youth. Banished from the labor force and public life, children inhabited worlds that mirrored the one they had left. Light describes the invention of junior republics as independent institutions and how they were later established at schools, on playgrounds, in housing projects, and on city streets, as public officials discovered children's role playing helped their bottom line. The junior republic movement aligned with cutting-edge developmental psychology and educational philosophy, and complemented the era's fascination with models and miniatures, shaping educational and recreational programs across the nation. Light's account of how earlier generations distinguished "real life" from role playing reveals a hidden history of child labor in America and offers insights into the deep roots of such contemporary concepts as gamification, play labor, and virtuality.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-785862024-04-02T22:12:29Z States of Childhood Light, Jennifer S. History of the Americas Age groups: children Labour / income economics thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHK History of the Americas thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSP Age groups and generations::JBSP1 Age groups: children thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KN Industry and industrial studies::KNX Industrial relations, occupational health and safety::KNXN Industrial arbitration and negotiation A number of curious communities sprang up across the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century: simulated cities, states, and nations in which children played the roles of legislators, police officers, bankers, journalists, shopkeepers, and other adults. They performed real work—passing laws, growing food, and constructing buildings, among other tasks—inside virtual worlds. In this book, Jennifer Light examines the phenomena of “junior republics” and argues that they marked the transition to a new kind of “sheltered” childhood for American youth. Banished from the labor force and public life, children inhabited worlds that mirrored the one they had left. Light describes the invention of junior republics as independent institutions and how they were later established at schools, on playgrounds, in housing projects, and on city streets, as public officials discovered children's role playing helped their bottom line. The junior republic movement aligned with cutting-edge developmental psychology and educational philosophy, and complemented the era's fascination with models and miniatures, shaping educational and recreational programs across the nation. Light's account of how earlier generations distinguished "real life" from role playing reveals a hidden history of child labor in America and offers insights into the deep roots of such contemporary concepts as gamification, play labor, and virtuality. 2022-02-21T15:12:38Z 2022-02-21T15:12:38Z 2020 book ONIX_20220221_9780262358606_106 9780262358606 9780262539012 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/78586 eng The MIT Press image/jpeg n/a https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/12077.001.0001 The MIT Press The MIT Press 10.7551/mitpress/12077.001.0001 10.7551/mitpress/12077.001.0001 ae0cf962-f685-4933-93d1-916defa5123d 9780262358606 9780262539012 The MIT Press 480 Cambridge open access
spellingShingle History of the Americas
Age groups: children
Labour / income economics
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHK History of the Americas
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSP Age groups and generations::JBSP1 Age groups: children
thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KN Industry and industrial studies::KNX Industrial relations, occupational health and safety::KNXN Industrial arbitration and negotiation
Light, Jennifer S.
States of Childhood
title States of Childhood
title_full States of Childhood
title_fullStr States of Childhood
title_full_unstemmed States of Childhood
title_short States of Childhood
title_sort states of childhood
topic History of the Americas
Age groups: children
Labour / income economics
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHK History of the Americas
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSP Age groups and generations::JBSP1 Age groups: children
thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KN Industry and industrial studies::KNX Industrial relations, occupational health and safety::KNXN Industrial arbitration and negotiation
topic_facet History of the Americas
Age groups: children
Labour / income economics
thema EDItEUR::N History and Archaeology::NH History::NHK History of the Americas
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities::JBSP Age groups and generations::JBSP1 Age groups: children
thema EDItEUR::K Economics, Finance, Business and Management::KN Industry and industrial studies::KNX Industrial relations, occupational health and safety::KNXN Industrial arbitration and negotiation
url ONIX_20220221_9780262358606_106
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