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- Convenors:
-
Viola Teisenhoffer
(IRSS-LASC, FaSS, University of Liège)
Andrea Zuppi (Aix-Marseille Université)
Elodie Razy (University of Liege)
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- Format:
- Panel
Short Abstract:
Assuming that children’s epistemologies are understudied, we expect ethnographic accounts from different societies that examine children’s forms of relatedness with non-human, invisible beings and artefacts to explore how they produce their knowledge and practices in ritualized contexts and play.
Long Abstract:
While contemporary scholarship on indigenous epistemologies increasingly recognizes these perspectives as valid (Kopenawa & Albert 2013), the same cannot yet be said for children’s epistemologies. This is certainly partly due to the methodological, ethical and epistemological challenges that make it difficult to access and accurately describe and analyze children’s perspectives and experiences (James 2007). The challenge is even greater when it comes to approaching children’s epistemologies across various dimensions of social life. In this panel, we wish to tackle this issue from the perspective of the specific ways in which children relate to different “existent beings” (Descola 2013) that make up their social and cultural worlds and subjectivities (Razy & Willemsen, 2024). In this case, giving voice to children’s epistemologies means investigating the local “cultures of agency” (Razy 2019) and engaging with them as recognized social actors in their own right (Hardman 1973), in shared reflection and action regarding how they produce their knowledge and practices in their daily life (Toren 1993). We are particularly interested in ethnographic accounts that explore how children, compared to adults, engage with invisible beings (deities, animals, stones, plants, figures featured in myths and tales, etc.) which are usually associated with religion and spirituality (Ridgely 2001), but also more broadly with children’s imagination. In order to approach the diverse forms of relatedness (Carsten 2000) with such existent beings in different environments, we will pay particular attention to ritualized contexts and play, assuming that the boundary between ritual and play can often be blurred (Hamayon 2016).
Accepted papers:
Session 1Paper Short Abstract:
Xikrin children, from an Indigenous People of North Brazil, divide their days between helping with subsistence activities, linking families acting to make reciprocity valid when adults may not be able to due to mutual respect, and playing. They play in groups that unites close relatives but also children of similar age or interests, those collectives being made out of affection and kinship. Playing in the village, river, and "capoeiras", the place which is not yet forest but no longer taken care of, they fish, hunt small animals, and are in constant contact to diverse beings. They also built to themselves - or to younger siblings - toys, which are testimonies of their relations to other beings, non-indigenous peoples included. I propose to look to these children playing in order to discuss their knowledge (of kinship, peoples, otherness, and the environment and their inhabitants) and therefore contribute to the debate of chidren's epistemology.
Paper Abstract:
Diverse ethnographers have pointed out how Xikrin children are autonomous and mobile through families, carrying meat or messages. My own ethnography with different generations of children, lasting 30 years and ongoing, have further showed and analysed it, demonstrating not only how it happens, but also seeking the fundamentals to it.
I have been discussing an openness to the knowledge of Others that is valued do the Xikrin but also valid to their children, in schools, traveling to the cities, mastering a riverine mode of life when they wore forced by the State to move from the forest to live by the rivers - a task mainly done by them, as their elders were less able to do it, and done by relating to non-indigenous peoples.
I have also studied collections of children's toys - which were always thought to be made from adults for them - and debated how my observations showed the way they themselves made them for playing in diverse environments.
This paper proposes to draw from those ethnographic observations and analytical debates to show how toys and playing can be an access to Xikrin children knowledges, learning, and their epistemology
Paper Short Abstract:
The present study tries to highlight aspects from children’ imagination when they speak about invisible worlds as they express themselves through drawings and storytelling. A special focus will be pointed out when children speak or draw symbolical representations from religion and popular culture during creativity workshops.
Paper Abstract:
The present study tries to highlight aspects from children’ imagination when they fabulate about invisible worlds as they express themselves through drawings and storytelling. A special focus will be pointed out when children speak or draw symbolical representations from religion and popular culture during creativity workshops. Children relate with a lot of invisible beings - angels, fairies, unicorns... inspired by adults’ stories and fairy tales, their own readings or seen movies, or different contexts of playing. The cultural and symbolical structure of elaborated images of these invisible worlds was studied, a special attention was showed on children attitudes when meeting these invisible creatures, how do they imagine angles, for example, how do they are protected by them. The distinction between good and bad is explored by children when they speak about imaginary beings and a special aspect was investigated: the way the children imagine they are perceived by these invisible creatures, how do they picture the eyes of the unseen? We explored cognitive and affective aspects of children imagination when they relate with beauty or ugliness, how they respond to joy or fear when they meet fairy tale characters or different traditional masks from Romanian popular culture, how they integrate technology in their life in order to get more coherent with aesthetic values, social rules, principles of life. We also explored how ways of non-formal education about Romanian traditions and popular customs related with children's imagination.
Paper Short Abstract:
This presentation analyzes the experiences and imaginations of the “child guides” who offer “heritage visits” to travelers in Mexico. While the more or less official status of these children varies depending on the extent to which the visits are supervised by adults, and the various institutional arrangements already in place, the leeway they have in constructing the visits – in terms of form, content and meaning – is considerable. In the course of their visits, child guides develop narratives based on their experiences and imaginations of the various non-human beings (plants, stones, rivers, sculptures, images, animals, deities, etc.) that populate the sites. Based on a selection of ethnographic case studies, the aim of this presentation is to describe and understand the ways in which children’s epistemologies and heritage are co-constructed, and to explore the ways of seeing, interpreting, and ultimately inhabiting the world revealed by these children's “heritage visits”.
Paper Abstract:
Giving to see, tell, and inhabit the world differently. “Heritage Visits” and the Epistemologies of Child Guides in Mexico.
This presentation analyzes the experiences and imaginations of the “child guides” who offer “heritage visits” to travelers in Mexico. While the more or less official status of these children varies depending on the extent to which the visits are supervised by adults, and the various institutional arrangements already in place, the leeway they have in constructing the visits – in terms of form, content and meaning – is considerable. In the course of their visits, child guides develop narratives based on their experiences and imaginations of the various non-human beings (plants, stones, rivers, sculptures, images, animals, deities, etc.) that populate the sites. Based on a selection of ethnographic case studies, the aim of this presentation is to describe and understand the ways in which children’s epistemologies and heritage are co-constructed, and to explore the ways of seeing, interpreting, and ultimately inhabiting the world revealed by these children's “heritage visits”.
Paper Short Abstract:
In contemporary Paganism in Hungary, a widespread movement aimed at reviving pre-Christian beliefs and practices, elements of children’s worlds such as folk tales, songs and rhymes are important sources of inspiration in the construction of religious knowledge. However, children do not seem to be key participants in the ritual activities of practitioners reconstructing shamanic practices where rituals and ritualized events are the main loci of transmission of religious knowledge for adults. Drawing on our ongoing ethnographic research on knowledge transmission in contemporary Paganism in Hungary, this presentation examines how transmission frameworks operate at the intersection of activities inspired by the institutional culture of childhood (school and leisure activities) and children’s experience and autonomous learning. We ask whether there are epistemologies of relatedness with existing beings specific to Pagan children.
Paper Abstract:
In contemporary Paganism in Hungary, a widespread movement aimed at reviving pre-Christian beliefs and practices, elements of children’s worlds such as folk tales, songs and rhymes are important sources of inspiration in the construction of religious knowledge. However, children do not seem to be key participants in the ritual activities of practitioners reconstructing shamanic practices, where most rituals are addressed to adults and may involve physically demanding elements (fasting, vigils). Accordingly, while most collective events are family-friendly, children’s participation in rituals is rather rare. They seem to remain on the periphery, helping with daily activities, playing around, coming and going, carrying out their own activities as in North American Paganism (Kermani 2013). If rituals and ritualized events are the main loci of transmission of religious knowledge for adults, how are children involved in learning about invisible beings?
Drawing on our ongoing ethnographic research on knowledge transmission in contemporary Paganism in Hungary, this presentation examines how transmission frameworks operate at the intersection of activities inspired by the institutional culture of childhood (school and leisure activities) and children’s experience and autonomous learning. Assuming that children engage with Pagan representations through objects that adults encourage them to make and/or use (such as amulets, mandalas or drums), and through comparison with contexts where children groups are not under adult supervision, we explore what components of their environment children endow with a meaning that meets or challenges adults’ representations. We ask whether there are epistemologies of relatedness with existing beings specific to Pagan children.
Paper Short Abstract:
The presentation is dedicated to an Armenian folk children's game called "One-Legged Black Devil." The mythological figure of the one-legged devil, the character, and its functions in the game draw parallels to the mythical figure of the Lame Demon in Armenian mythology, which possesses characteristics associated with the god of death, and whose beliefs remained alive until the 19th century.
Paper Abstract:
The game" One-Legged Black Devil." is one of the most beloved games among Armenian children today. It is played both in courtyards and schools. During our fieldwork in recent years, we have recorded various versions of the game from different regions of Armenia.
The game proceeds as follows: one child is chosen as the devil, and another as the mother. The mother and the other children form a circle, assigning each child a color. The devil comes and demands a color. If the color requested matches one of the children's colors, that child runs away, and the devil, hopping on one foot, chases after him. If the child succeeds in returning and sitting back in his place, the devil demands another color.
The figure of the one-legged devil draws fascinating parallels to the image of the Lame Demon mentioned in Armenian mythological stories, whose functions correspond to those of the god of death. The study shows that in this children's game, ancient ritual-mythological representations of the god of death and the accompanying figure of the afterlife have been preserved. The analysis of the character becomes more complete when viewed in the broader context of Armenian folk ethnographic and folkloric materials.
Paper Short Abstract:
Among the Yucatecan Maya, child development is viewed as a gradual, autonomous, and internal process. As a result, Mayan caregivers believe that they do not need to intervene too directly in child’s education. They allow the children considerable freedom for observation and experimentation, refraining from forcing to them act against their will (Gaskins, 1999). During over a year of fieldwork in the village of Chulutan (Yucatán, Mexico) as part of my PhD research, I sought to explore what aspects of these modes of indirect socialization are accepted, questioned, or rejected by Mayan children, primarily through play situations. I had the opportunity to film numerous play situations (mostly in Yucatec Maya), in which the construction of gender identities is subtly influenced and shaped by caregivers and peers. My focus is on the socialization of gender roles, as Mayan societies are characterized by a clear differentiation of gender roles in everyday activities, verbal practices, and physical behaviors and attitudes. This gender distinction is strongly reflected in children's play (e.g. Rossie, 2021, among Moroccan Amazigh children). Whether the play is fictional or based on real-life elements, gendered roles are consistently present, and children's agency in these play situations allows them to re-enact this reality. By analyzing these interactions, we can observe which aspects of gender roles are instinctively integrated by the children, and conversely, which aspects raise questions or even cause discomfort for them. Since play is a form of socialization among children (Göncü et al., 2000; Göncü & Gaskins, 2006; Kyratzis, 2010), the analysis I propose shows how, among the Yucatecan Maya, young girls are gently guided toward what is expected for their gender, while young boys are harshly mocked if they deviate too far from their expected roles.
Paper Abstract:
My presentation will show extracts from scenes of children at play, each filmed as part of a collaborative project with them - over 1,000 hours of video have been gathered throughout the three years of the ongoing PhD research. Since socialisation here is understood as a set of communicative and linguistic practices - both verbal and gestural -, I have chosen to analyse these videos using software for analysing movements, facial expressions and language (EUDICO Linguistic Annotator). This enables me to develop an in-depth multimodal study of these practices, combining ethnography with linguistic and interactional anthropology.
Mayan societies are characterised by a clear differentiation of gender roles regarding daily activities, verbal practices, behaviours. This results in a tangible social division of labour, reflected in the gendered organisation of social and spatial life. While men enjoy greater freedom to engage in activities both within and beyond the village, women's daily practices are largely confined to the family plot. Mayan women are also prohibited to go out into the farmland during the hottest hours or often justify their movements or activities through the presence of a child. Many behaviours tolerated in men — such as a lack of reserve, speaking to strangers, or talking loudly — are particularly frowned upon in women.
I will demonstrate how children are often the first to uphold and enforce these gender norms. However, we will also observe how, depending on the context, these seemingly rigid gender rules are sometimes challenged or circumvented by children during play.
Paper Short Abstract:
Faced with the need to find solutions to the challenges of life with young children, parents or guardians often exploit and use existing 'lower mythological figures' (Heimerdinger, 2011) to bring about desired outcomes (Widdowson, 1972). Today, while some parents use such traditional figures, they also appear to be inventing new 'helper' figures with their children by drawing on the family's shared cultural resources (Gall, 2024). Rooted in ethnographic and autoethnographic fieldwork, this paper will highlight a small number of co-created 'new' traditional helper figures, looking at how they are developed, how they are used by their creators, and how they function in their family context.
Paper Abstract:
Faced with the need to find solutions to the challenges of life with young children, parents or guardians often exploit and use existing 'lower mythological figures' (Heimerdinger, 2011) to bring about desired outcomes (Widdowson, 1972). Today, while some parents use such figures, they also appear to be inventing new 'helper' figures with their children by drawing on the family's shared cultural resources such as their mediascapes (Appadurai, 1990), knowledge of one another, awareness of traditional forms of play, and so on (Gall, 2024). These figures, and the associated play forms and practices in which they become entangled, can be used, instrumentalised, and/or manipulated in a variety of ways by both parents and children to achieve their aims in family life. Rooted in ethnographic and autoethnographic fieldwork, this paper will highlight a small number of co-created 'new' traditional helper figures, looking at how they are developed, how they are used by their creators, and how they function in their family context.
Paper Short Abstract:
Couvade practices in Amazonia are usually considered as being infant-oriented. This is based on the assumption that newborns are fragile creatures that must be protected. I propose to examine the reverse hypothesis: that newborns are dangerous beings and the couvade mainly parent-oriented.
Paper Abstract:
In Amazonian anthropology, the term couvade came to refer to the set of perinatal ritual practices implemented by the parents of a newborn. These practices have mainly been explained by as being beneficial for the newborn and necessary to complete its fabrication into a fully-fledged human being (Rival 1998; Vilaça 2002). This interpretation seems to rest on the idea of newborns as fragile and incomplete creatures. Yet, growing evidence shows that newborns are also considered as treacherous creatures, susceptible of harming those around them (Costa 2017). In the light of such evidence, and based on my own fieldwork among the Amazonian Kulina people, this paper will attempt to argue that couvade practices in the region are parent-oriented just as much as they are infant-oriented. This is so because newborns are considered highly ambiguous and dangerous beings, from which one must protect oneself.