Oxford Centre for the History of Childhood Colloquium | 23 June 2025 | Magdalen College, University of Oxford
Becoming Human? Childhood, Development, and the Human Sciences
Call for Papers, deadline – 7 March 2025
We welcome papers that consider the theme of ‘Becoming Human? Childhood, Development and the Human Sciences’ from a wide variety of perspectives
Areas that papers might explore include:
- Child development, and children’s minds or bodies as subjects of study
- Children’s engagement with ideas about adulthood, development, and futurity
- Attempts to intervene in and guide child development by states and institutions
- Methods of research into child development
- Concepts of adultification, ‘abnormality’, unchilding, original sin, and other non-developmental narratives of childhood
- Concepts of childhood and (im)maturity of marginalised social groups
We welcome papers from any disciplinary or professional background and career stage, including advanced undergraduate and graduate students.
We welcome papers that explore inquiry into child development and ideas of maturity in any historical period and place. We hope that all participants will consider the experiences and perspectives of children and young people living within developmental frameworks. The programme will feature keynotes from Dr Laura Tisdall (Newcastle), Dr Bonnie Evans (QMUL) and Professor Sally Shuttleworth (Oxford).
Please send abstracts of c. 250 words for a fifteen-minute paper and a brief bio to christina.debellaigue@history.ox.ac.uk by midday on Friday 7th March 2025. We plan to offer in-person and online participation, so please indicate your preference when submitting.
Organising Committee: Christina de Bellaigue, Julia Gustavsson, Gillian Lamb, Rachel O’Driscoll, Siân Pooley, Catherine Sloan