ABSTRACT
This chapter is a preliminary and tentative account of the changing regimes of childhood in Malayali society over a period spanning nearly two centuries, culminating in the present. I argue that instead of stories of linear change, we need more complex analyses of the specific regimes of childhood to get a better grasp on the contemporary politics of childhood and its intertwining with the politics of gender. In this chapter, I identify four such regimes – responsible parenting, romantic childhood, aspirational regime, and child governance – each of which has been advanced with varying degrees of success and acceptance. I also highlight an emergent fifth regime, that of securitised childhood. I elaborate on these drawing from a variety of writings from the late 19th century to present-day Malayali society and the wealth of social science research on contemporary Kerala, with a particular focus on children and youth. Top of Form
