Reflection on the Changing Conceptions of Childhood in Post-Modernity

Abstract: In the process of opposing the modern conception of childhood, the discourse of postmodernism enters into the field of childhood research, and produces many new understandings about childhood. These understandings mainly include: oppose the dichotomy of understanding childhood, such as the dichotomy of biology and culture, being and becoming, childhood and adulthood, and emphasize that childhood is a heterogeneous collection of social, technological and biological factors; Oppose the universal nature of childhood, and advocating the complexity, fluidity and diversity of childhood; Deconstruct rationalism and subjectivity, and discover childhood as a permanent revolution in subjectivity, children's irrationality and self-unity. These concepts of childhood in the context of post-modern culture have had a positive effect on the field of childhood research, such as shaking the dominant position of biology; discovering the interaction between various factors in childhood; focusing on the diversity and mobility of childhood; alleviating the influence of adultism, reshaping the new relationship between adulthood and childhood, and so on. But at the same time, we must also be alert to the danger brought by this new discourse of childhood, that is, it may dissolve childhood into an empty concept and become a sub-phenomenon of society, technology, culture, economy, etc., and completely abandon the inquiry of ideal childhood, making the ideal value of childhood no longer exist. This reminds us that as childhood studies open up to postmodern discourse, so do the promises and dangers that we must confront.