Children and Society

Abstract

In Western societies, we can observe a social order of knowledge between adults and children which involves the adults’ knowledge (e.g., on social matters) being investigated, made accessible, and distributed. Children’s knowledge, on the other hand, has not been studied in its own right. In this article, we therefore wish to focus on children’s social knowledge by analyzing passages from qualitative interviews with 15 elementary school children (age 8-10; different social backgrounds) on their understanding first, of differences in academic achievement, and second, of wealth and poverty, as well as their ideas on how these two topics are related and (therefore) their belief in meritocracy and knowledge about inequality. By exploring the children’s perspectives, we aim to get a better understanding of societal power structures and dynamics. Our findings reveal a distinct understanding of societal stratification issues on the part of children which is strongly linked to their position as children and not so much to their social class affiliation. Moreover, the results hint at children making a stabilizing contribution to the generational and social order of society.