There's no Place Like Home

Abstract

This article explores children's theorizing around risk and safety in relation to the public/private distinction. While there has been considerable debate within sociology over the different meanings and applications of the public/private dichotomy, little consideration has been given to the ways in which children construct their lives around this distinction. In this article it is argued that children reflexively construct their landscapes of risk and safety around concepts of private, local and public. While the private sphere of the home was described by the children in terms of safety and security, they expressed concerns about their vulnerability in public life. The children's accounts also define an intermediate sphere between private and public - the local sphere - which was identified in terms of proximity to the home and familiarity with places and people.