Studying children: Phenomenological insights

Abstract

The ideas to be presented in this paper emerge from a phenomenological approach to the sociological enterprise. In particular they derive from Husserl's directive to respect "the originary right of all data." Such respect entails setting aside belief and doubt in ontological and epistemological matters. There are some important advantages to be gained from adopting such a stance towards children and there is a serious practical problem. First, the advantages: Seeing children as "nothing special" but simply as actors in the social world makes it possible to draw on social science resources not usually applied to children. Routinely, in seeking to understand children, traditional sociology has either turned to psychological theorists (especially Freud, Erikson, and Piaget) or elaborated on sociological theories of socialization. As a consequence, the sociological study of children has neither benefited from nor contributed to sociological understanding in general but has for the most part been an independent sphere of study. I contend that taking children seriously as sociological subjects encourages the application of a wide range of sociological concepts and theories to children's activities and experiences (see, for example, my study of deviance in a kindergarten classroom, 1987, and Ardener's idea of muted voices, 1977) and the application of concepts developed in studying children to adult activities (consider, for example, adult instances of the Opies' notion of half-belief, 1959). In this way sociological knowledge about children and sociological understanding in general can be enhanced. Second, the disadvantage: To take children's ideas, beliefs, activities, and experiences seriously, as real and as embodying knowledge, is to risk being taken for a fool. When I as a sociologist