Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Care and Education: Critical Questions, Diverse Imaginaries, and Social Activism

• In Event: Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Care and Education: Critical Questions, Diverse Imaginaries, and Social Activism

Abstract

Objectives
This workshop session is to share recent scholarship, through discussion between audience members and contributors to a recently completed volume (in press.) The workshop will bring together an international group of scholars working in critical childhood studies, critical perspectives in early childhood education and the Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education (RECE) network. Each author raises theoretical and methodological issues for discussion focused on scholarly/social/pedagogical/political action. At a moment of unprecedented attacks and interest in the fields of early education and child care, our goals as critical scholars will be to raise questions, and focus on forms of individual and collective work as we move forward.

Overview
The primary purpose of this workshop is rethinking early education and child care, as well as thinking about diverse ways in which people in related fields are engaging in scholarship, action and activisms. The workshop participants will include older/younger scholars, and a wide range of US and international scholars.
Three broad topics will frame the proposed workshop: (1) Foundational Debates and Critical Questions. (2) Diverse Imaginaries, and (3) Social Action/Activisms.

Scholarly Significance
From the late 1970s and into the mid-1980s, critically-oriented psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, economists, and historians interested in early education and child care, were asking questions about the narrow, limited perspectives of the dominant empirical research in child development/ECE in the United States of America, as well as elsewhere. Research in a number of nations led to questioning the taken for granted ‘nature’ of childhood and child development portrayed in research, curriculum, assessments, and teacher education. As various authors (e.g., Bloch, 1991; Swadener & Kessler, 1991; Kessler & Swadener, 1992; Walkerdine, 1984) suggested, curriculum and research focused on what “is” rather than what might or ought to be. Few researchers examined “power” in relation to knowledge. Early research in the USA by Bloch (1987), Hatch (1985), Lubeck (1985), Polakow-Suransky (1982, 1993), Tobin (1989), Silin (1985, 1995), and Ayers (1989), Mallory & New (1994), and Cannella (1997) pointed to new methodologies, and diverse critical theories that could be used to examine policy, pedagogy and curriculum.
In 2013-14, researchers are asking similar questions about curriculum, assessments, notions of childhood, the construction of quality or best practice in pedagogy, and the construction of “rigorous” research. Why is it that these serious questions remain? In what ways were initial ideas of “reform and change” not realized, and in which ways have we tried to engage in different critical actions/activisms toward greater social/environmental justice? As critical, poststructural, postcolonial, feminist / queer, and posthumanist researchers and educators, we challenge ourselves to ask questions, rather than to ignore them, and to continue to take collective action as necessary.
Structure of Session
We propose to bring many contributors from the (in press) book together for the first time, in a 2 hour workshop to discuss, with each other and audience members, current issues, debates, and actions. After 90 minutes, reporters from each of 7-8 envisioned groups will highlight key questions, new ideas, challenges with small/large actions to consider.

Authors

• Marianne N. Bloch, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Beth Blue Swadener, Arizona State University

• Gaile S. Cannella, Arizona State University - Tempe