ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 looks at the characteristics associated with childhood in the context of child and childhood studies. Firstly, it defines the concepts ‘child’ and ‘childhood’ to be relied upon throughout. Secondly, it unpacks the meaning of development that emerged as prominent in childhood discourses from the seventeenth century on. Lastly, Chapter 2 seeks to show that the early developments in child and childhood studies, philosophy and rights-based discourses continue to be relevant and indicate that children’s rights have perhaps evolved less than we might have expected. The purpose of this discussion is to not only show that the issues grappled with for centuries persist, but also that there is work to be done in general children and childhood studies, children’s rights and refugee law. The focus of this book is child refugee law and therefore these discussions largely inform subsequent analyses of case law and modern legislation pertaining to child refuge.
