ABSTRACT

Significant developments occurred in childhood in some of the newer civilization areas emerging in the postclassical world. The changes provide additional illustrations of the impact of expanding world religions in several cases, but also some wider results of new contacts and imitations and the additional acceleration of inter-regional trade. This chapter deals with patterns in sub-Saharan Africa, Japan, Russia, and Western Europe, where new contacts and influences often combined with economic change. A brief note about the Americas adds one further region. Overall, these societies remind us of some of the starker features of childhood in agricultural societies generally, though inquiry on some points is seriously constrained by lack of easily available evidence or focused historical work. Comparison remains important, around various regional factors now including religious culture.