The ‘Exploring Childhood Studies in the Global South’ project seeks to bring together researchers exploring childhood and children’s lives in diverse contexts in the Global South to engage in theory development using the various empirical studies that have been produced on Southern childhoods as a starting point for dialogue and action.

The central questions of this project are:  

1. How, if at all, do theoretical concepts relating to childhood research in the North transfer to various social, cultural and political contexts in the Global South?
2. What are the key theoretical priorities for child-focused researchers working in diverse contexts in the Global South and why?/What theoretical concepts do childhood researchers focusing on Southern childhoods find most useful and why?
3. How can these theoretical priorities identified by child-focused researchers working on Southern childhoods be better reflected in dominant discourses within the interdisciplinary field of childhood studies?
4. What challenges exist which may prevent the incorporation of theories developed by academics focusing on Southern childhoods into more dominant discourses relating to childhood studies?

These questions will be addressed through two initiatives in particular:

1. The organisation of a three-day workshop in January 2016 for childhood academics and researchers with various levels of experience working within diverse Southern contexts including those based within institutions in the South.

   Dates: 19-21 January 2016
   Venue: The University of Sheffield

2. The development of a website which will host the following:

1. The Southern Childhoods Network which is a virtual network of childhood scholars, policy-makers and practitioners which seeks to facilitate dialogue, action and collaboration.
2. An online database of childhood researchers and academics focusing on the Global South.
3. A database of open access articles in English, French and Spanish with a particular focus on childhood and children’s lives in the Global South.
4. Webinars facilitated by key academics in the area of global childhood studies.

   The website will be launched by the end of September 2015.

The project is managed by Dr. Afua Twum-Danso Imoh at the University of Sheffield, hosted by the Centre for the Study of Childhood and Youth and funded by the British Academy Rising Star Scheme.