"This thoughtful book provides expert overviews of historical, sociological, psychological, cultural, legal and rights-informed approaches to childhood. Through these well written, readable chapters, students will be engaged with important debates in childhood studies, and led towards many ideas and problems for further investigation. This second edition includes new chapters arguing strongly for interdisciplinarity and for measured responses to the current 'crisis' in UK childhoods." Berry Mayall, Institute of Education, University of London, UK An Introduction to Childhood Studies offers a wide-ranging and thought-provoking approach to the study of childhood, providing an important contribution to this burgeoning area of research and teaching. It brings together key themes in the area of Childhood Studies, providing a comprehensive and accessible introduction for students and practitioners, helping to answer questions such as: What is childhood and how can it be studied and understood? How is the idea of childhood shaped by the society we live in? The contributors - who are leading figures in their fields - examine childhood from historical, socio-cultural and policy perspectives. They explore aspects such as the construction of childhood, children's literature, childhood in the digital age and children's rights. Revised and updated throughout, the new edition includes: An expanded introductory chapter - Childhood Studies: past, present, future A new chapter on children's rights and educational provision A new concluding chapter - The future of childhood Revised and updated chapters Further reading suggestions for each chapter An Introduction to Childhood Studies is a key text for students on courses in childhood studies, child psychology, social policy and the sociology of youth and childhood.