Scandinavian Early Childhood And Consumer Culture

During the 20th century consumer culture came to play a dominant and defining role in Western societies. Scandinavian Early Childhood and Consumer Culture provides insights into how, in the Scandinavian countries in general, and in Norway in particular, childhood had been imagined and children have acted as consumers in a modern consumer society. The book contains new historical and empirical studies. Tora Korsvold is professor of Early Childhood Education at Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education, Trondheim, Norway.

In recent years children have become an increasingly important consumer market, and there is growing concern about the 'commercialisation' of childhood. This book sheds light on these debates, offering new empirical data and challenging critical perspectives on children's engagement with consumer culture from a wide range of international settings.

This book explores how young children and new families are located in the consumer world of affluent societies. The author assesses the way in which the value of infants and monetary value in markets are realized together, and examines how the meanings of childhood are enacted in the practices, narratives and materialities of contemporary markets. These meanings formulate what is important in the care of young children, creating moralities that impact not only on new parents, but also circumscribe the possibilities for monetary value creation. Three main understandings of early childhood - those of love, protection and purification - and their interrelationships are covered, and illustrated with examples including food, feeding tools, nappies, travel systems and toys. The book concludes by re-examining the relationship between adulthood and the cultural value of young children, and by discussing the implications of the ways markets address young children, also examines the realities of older children in consumer culture. Childhood and Markets will be of interest to students and scholars of sociology, childhood studies, anthropology, cultural studies, media studies, business studies and marketing.

Largely as a result of social policies and cultural factors, the Nordic countries continually score high in lifestyle measures, quality of life and children’s outcomes. This book brings together authors from the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) to share knowledge and understanding regarding families, children, primary education and children’s leisure time activities. The empirical research and theoretical contributions provide important insights into the ‘Nordic model’ and explore the issues facing Nordic countries. The book reveals that while there are many similarities across the countries, differences also arise. The content of the book is more relevant now than ever, as countries look at better ways to support their populations. Nordic Families, Children and Early Childhood Education will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including Education, Sociology and Social Policy.

Providing extensive examples of the conditions of children's everyday consumption as well as how children themselves understand issues of work, money, scarcity, and consumer products, this book challenges the prevailing theories of consumption and opens up new ways of thinking about children. Arguing that consumption simultaneously reflects on the changing social role of children, family relations, market interaction, and state regulations, this account marries consumer studies with perspectives that emanate from the disciplines of childhood sociology and the history of childhood. With contributions from novice and established researchers, it generates consumer values no longer based on the idea of the naïve or competent child.

This gripping book considers the history, techniques, and goals of child-targeted consumer campaigns and examines children's changing perceptions of what commodities they "need" to be valued and value themselves. In this critique of America's consumption-based society, author Jennifer Hill chronicles the impact of consumer culture on children—from the evolution of childhood play to a child's self-perception as a consumer to the consequences of this generation's repeated media exposure to violence. Hill proposes that corporations, eager to tap into a multibillion-dollar market, use the power of advertising and the media to mold children's thoughts and behaviors. The book features vignettes with teenagers explaining, in their own words, how advertising determines their needs, wants, and self-esteem. An in-depth analysis of this research reveals the influence of media on a young person's desire to conform, shows how broadcasted depictions of beauty distort the identities of children and teens, and uncovers corporate agendas for manipulating behavior in the younger generation. The work concludes with the position that corporations are shaping children to be efficient consumers but, in return, are harming their developing young minds and physical well-being.

Unpacking the complexities of Nordic consumer culture, this edited collection responds to the growing interest in regionalism within consumer research and marketing. By taking a closer look at the interaction between the state and the market in Nordic countries, the authors examine how consumer behaviour is impacted by the region’s unique context. Important elements of Nordic culture are explored, such as its underlying element of mythology and the concept of ‘hygge,’ an object of global consumption. Those studying consumer behaviour, branding, and marketing more generally, will find this book a fascinating contribution to research.

This collection is aimed at practitioners and scholars interested in democracy, social justice and diversity. The importance of the book lies in the way it discusses possible ways for early childhood education to work with diversity and language in order to allow inclusion and social justice for all children. Building on case studies from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, the text offers broad insights into the field of diversity through historical and organisational perspectives, as well as viewpoints of children, practitioners and parents.