"Children and the State" seeks to make a significant contribution to both historical sociology and our understanding of the development of child welfare. It critically discusses theories of welfare as social control, explores the development of child welfare institutions and agencies in their social and political context, and provides new perspectives on the current system of child welfare. The book is divided into three parts, the first of which outlines the work of writers critical of the operation of power in the welfare state such as Platt, Lasch, Donzelot and Meyer, and setting their ideas and concepts within the history and sociology of welfare and family life. The second part of the book provides a history of the development of child welfare in Australia between 1800 and 1940, and explains how the major turning points relate to their social and political contexts. The third part explains what can be learnt from Australian child welfare history to improve our current understanding of the relation between the state, family life and childhood.
The book may be of value to students of sociology, social history, education, criminology and the human services, as well as practitioners interested in relating social theory to practical concerns such as child abuse and neglect, juvenile delinquency and family breakdown. Robert van Krieken is a Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Sydney.
- ISBN13 9781863730952
- Publish Date 21 February 1992
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 20 March 2000
- Publish Country AU
- Imprint Allen & Unwin
- Format Paperback
- Pages 184
- Language English