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Abstract
This article discusses children’s rights as social semantics, approaching them as a form of self-description of a paradoxical relationship that has emerged from the late 20th century within several social systems, a relationship between generational order and children’s position as holders of human rights. Charles Taylor’s theory on the evolution of the semantics of human value is combined with a wide interdisciplinary array of contributions from Childhood Studies, Social Work, Pedagogy, Studies on Constitutionalism to propose an innovative social ontology of children’s rights.
Although the UNCRC has been the object of critical scrutiny since the early 1990s, the authors are not aware of any previous attempt to approach children’s rights as social semantics in an attempt to illuminate the dynamic and paradoxical coupling within discourses on childhood between a fundamental social process, the reproduction of generational order, and a fundamental social institution, human rights as codified in western modernity.
The authors argue that, whilst describing a paradoxical coexistence between intergenerational order and human rights, the semantics of children’s rights maintains its unity as a cultural form because another semantic distinction, between human rights and personal rights continue to generate social meaning. It is hoped that the scholarly debate will benefit from the contribution of this article to enrich the debate around the social ontology of childhood and children’s rights.
Although the UNCRC has been the object of critical scrutiny since the early 1990s, the authors are not aware of any previous attempt to approach children’s rights as social semantics in an attempt to illuminate the dynamic and paradoxical coupling within discourses on childhood between a fundamental social process, the reproduction of generational order, and a fundamental social institution, human rights as codified in western modernity.
The authors argue that, whilst describing a paradoxical coexistence between intergenerational order and human rights, the semantics of children’s rights maintains its unity as a cultural form because another semantic distinction, between human rights and personal rights continue to generate social meaning. It is hoped that the scholarly debate will benefit from the contribution of this article to enrich the debate around the social ontology of childhood and children’s rights.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Children & Society |
Publication status | Accepted/In press - 17 Apr 2024 |
Data Access Statement
This work is entirely theoretical, developing a new conceptualisation of children's rights as social semantics. There is no data underpinning this publication.Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'How do childhood and children’s rights mean what they mean? Innovating the debate around the social semantics of childhood and children’s rights through an interdisciplinary approach'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Activities
- 3 Oral presentation
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A three-dimensional semantic of childhood and children's rights
Federico Farini (Speaker) & Angela Scollan (Speaker)
23 Jun 2017Activity: Academic Talks or Presentations › Oral presentation › Research
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Young children’s rights as social institution
Federico Farini (Speaker) & Angela Scollan (Speaker)
25 May 2016Activity: Academic Talks or Presentations › Oral presentation › Research
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The complex semantic of childhood and children's rights
Federico Farini (Speaker) & Angela Scollan (Speaker)
2 Sept 2016Activity: Academic Talks or Presentations › Oral presentation › Research