Attention: This course is a Blockseminar! We will initially meet on Friday, April 12.th, 10.00-12.00, for a preliminary discussion where I will introduce the topic and the syllabus and will give out possible topics for class presentations. The seminar will then take place on the following three fridays: May 17th,. 10.00-17.00; June 21st,. 10.00-17.00; July 19th. 10-17.00. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions at this point (hackenesch (at) gsnas.fu-berlin.de). close

Is the concept of childhood a modern construction? Why does the study of childhood matter and what does it tell us about the past in general, and about identity constructions, cultural experiences and societal beliefs in particular? How does childhood figure in the popular imagination and how do categories such as race, class, gender and sexuality define the contours of American childhood? We will consider answers to these questions through the historiography and primary sources that inform our knowledge of the past as children experienced it. During the seminar, we will especially look at the role of youth welfare agencies, material culture and advertising for children’s toys, the rise in international adoptions after World War II and the construction of “war babies”, the glorification of the nuclear family and children in the 1950s, the role of children in the civil rights movement, rebellious youth and popular youth cultures. close