Becoming-with Sand: Taking Matter Seriously in Childhood Research
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| Title: | Becoming-with Sand: Taking Matter Seriously in Childhood Research |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Meg Everett (ORCID |
| Source: | Global Studies of Childhood. 2025 15(4):363-387. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 25 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Descriptors: | Young Children, Physical Environment, Perceptual Motor Learning, Tactual Perception, Play, Child Development, Humanism, Environmental Education, Environmental Influences, Conservation (Environment), Depleted Resources, Natural Resources, Ecological Factors, Urbanization, Climate, Cultural Awareness, Manufacturing, Sustainability |
| DOI: | 10.1177/20436106241305373 |
| ISSN: | 2043-6106 |
| Abstract: | This article challenges anthropocentric views of childhood by adopting a posthumanist, new materialist perspective, positioning sand as an active agent in children's world-making. Conducted through speculative, post-qualitative methodologies on a Scottish beach with two young children, this study disrupts traditional developmentalist and nature-based learning narratives, advocating for a more-than-human understanding of childhood. Sand is taken seriously as an agentic force, highlighting the complex relational entanglements between children and their material environments. By tracing the broader implications of sand--from global environmental impacts and colonial histories to its role in modern technologies--this research argues for a more inclusive and responsive approach to childhood education, one that moves away from human-centric discourse and acknowledges the tentacular interconnections between humans, nonhumans, and the environment. This study contributes to broader posthumanist field of inquiry, advocating for an imperative, ethical shift in how we engage with both children and the more-than-human world to ultimately imagine more equitable and sustainable futures. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1491025 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This article challenges anthropocentric views of childhood by adopting a posthumanist, new materialist perspective, positioning sand as an active agent in children's world-making. Conducted through speculative, post-qualitative methodologies on a Scottish beach with two young children, this study disrupts traditional developmentalist and nature-based learning narratives, advocating for a more-than-human understanding of childhood. Sand is taken seriously as an agentic force, highlighting the complex relational entanglements between children and their material environments. By tracing the broader implications of sand--from global environmental impacts and colonial histories to its role in modern technologies--this research argues for a more inclusive and responsive approach to childhood education, one that moves away from human-centric discourse and acknowledges the tentacular interconnections between humans, nonhumans, and the environment. This study contributes to broader posthumanist field of inquiry, advocating for an imperative, ethical shift in how we engage with both children and the more-than-human world to ultimately imagine more equitable and sustainable futures. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2043-6106 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/20436106241305373 |
