ABSTRACT
This chapter adopts a reflexive methodology to explore what critical children’s rights research requires. Relying on five elements of critical children’s rights research (deconstruction, alternative pathways, situatedness, positionality, and ongoing critique) it analyzes the author’s own Adaptive model of children’s rights, dissecting its strengths, limitations, and implication within the broader discourse of Critical Children’s Rights Studies. The chapter emphasizes the need for self-awareness and vigilance against entrenched biases, and advocates for a dynamic and iterative approach to critical inquiry. Further, it underscores the imperative of contextualizing research within the evolving sociocultural milieu, accounting for power dynamics, and engaging meaningfully with the diverse voices and experiences of children. While acknowledging the inherent complexities and challenges, the chapter advocates for humility, introspection, and a commitment to continuous improvement as foundational principles for fostering genuine critical scholarship in children’s rights. In essence, this chapter serves a dual purpose: to explore the conditions that make children’s rights research ‘critical’, and to analyze the author’s own work through this lens.
