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The Informalization of the Parent-Child Relationship: An Investigation of Parenting Discourses Produced in Australia in the Inter-War Years
Journal article   Peer reviewed

The Informalization of the Parent-Child Relationship: An Investigation of Parenting Discourses Produced in Australia in the Inter-War Years

R.M. Kitchens
Journal of Family History, Vol.32(4), pp.459-478
10/2007
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Abstract

Drawing on the work of Norbert Elias, this article will explore the informalization of the parent-child relationship as reflected in parenting literature produced in Australia in the inter-war years. Authors of this literature have placed limits on the use of violence, discourage authoritarian disciplinary methods, and promote children's independence and autonomy. It is the contention of this article that these attempts to transform child-rearing practices can be interpreted as part of what Elias called the "civilizing process," by which a greater capacity for self-control is exacted on the part of both children and parents. It will also be argued that Elias's framework offers an alternative approach to Marxist and Foucaultian perspectives that place emphasis on social control.

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Citation topics
10 Arts & Humanities
10.144 Modern History
10.144.2425 Australian National Identity
Web Of Science research areas
Anthropology
Family Studies
History
History Of Social Sciences
ESI research areas
Social Sciences, general
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