Undefining Childhood: A Time–Space Ethnography of the Enduring Child

Abstract

This post-qualitative ethnography reveals elements of childhood and learning that may remain constant across the lifetime continuum. The research occurred for 13 months on a rural peninsula in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Traditional ethnographic data collection methods included field notes, shooting scripts and photo documentation, document collection, interviews, and talks. A post-qualitative analysis produced rich narratives through the lenses of space–time physics, new materialism, and the field of Children’s Geographies. Findings indicate new ways to consider childhood and how humans across the lifespan continuously make meaning about both local environments and the greater world.