Children’s participation and intergenerational dialogue: Bringing adults back into the analysis

Abstract

Within the field of children’s participation there has been a shift from adults mediating children’s worlds to children themselves becoming the sole interpreters of their own standpoints. In the process this has sometimes led to the marginalisation of adults’ perspectives on and contributions to children’s participation. In this article the author argues that analyses of children’s participatory roles need to take account of the form and nature of children’s relationships with adults. Drawing on the notion of intergenerational dialogue the article explores a range of political and global themes that highlight the participatory roles of children and their interdependence on adults.