Children of the Welfare State

"Children of the Welfare State uses the case of Denmark--employed as emblematic of the European state--to consider the ways in which children are 'civilized' within child-focused institutions, such as schools, daycare, and the family unit, under the auspices of the welfare state. Through deep ethnographic studies, the authors build a clear account of children{u2019}s experiences at a variety of ages, different genders, and from differing ethnic and social backgrounds. Ultimately they show that even though Danish welfare institutions are marked by a strong egalitarian ideal, they nonetheless tend to reproduce dominant norms of social class and distinctions of ethnicity and religion."--Provided by publisher.