Review in American Anthropologist
Reviews in Social Anthropology
'In his book, The Anthropology of Childhood. Cherubs, Chattel, Changelings, David F. Laney has undertaken the Herculean task of synthesising an impressive expanse of literature from ethnographic, historical, archaeological and other sources to address the study of children and childhood in a cross-cultural and holistic way. He successfully challenges conventional Euro-American wisdom regarding child development and childrearing and draws a much needed dichotomy between our own culture-bound conception of children as 'precious, innocent, and preternaturally cute cherubs' and 'societies, indeed entire periods in history, where children are viewed as unwanted, inconvenient changelings or as desired but pragmatically commoditized chattels.'
-Childhood in the Past: An International Journal
'The book is remarkably well written and readable for the density of the information that it presents. It is well organized, beginning with a twenty-five-page outline of what is to come that is both a wonderful prospectus and an appetizer. He concludes the final chapter with a bullet point summary of the book. Following the summarty, Lancy has an incomparable bibliography of anthropological and other sources on childhood and, finally, author, topic, and society indices.'
-American Journal of PLAY
'David Lancy, in his book The Anthropology of Childhood: Cherubs, Chattel, and Changelings, takes readers on a tour de force of childhood across the globe and over time. In slightly over 400 pages and 10 chapters, Lancy presents thousands of observations from hundreds of cultures, present and past, describing the many facets of childhood, from infancy through adolescence.'
-American Journal of Psychology
It is my opinion that there is an urgent need for a holistic view of childhood, an opinion likely shared by all anthropologists studying childhood. Lancy’s book does an excellent job moving us toward this goal. The Anthropology of Childhood: Cherubs, Chattel, Changelings will be a valuable addition to the classroom, exposing students to the variety of childhoods around the world. It will also serve as an excellent reference for scholars of childhood, both within and, more importantly, outside of anthropology.
American Journal of Human Biology (2010) 22:140–141
The scope of this book is vast, bringing in findings from primatology, as well as ideas from evolutionary and biological anthropology, to give a well rounded and comprehensive guide to children’s lives in many parts of the world. In doing so Lancy challenges many taken for granted assumptions about childhood, breathes new life into the stale nature–nurture debate, and reminds us of the many different ways of raising children while also suggesting reasons for these differences. In doing so he refutes the accusation…that “anthropologists don’t like children.” In this warm and witty book, Lancy shows that not only does this particular anthropologist like children, but that he also likes writing about them, conveying an infectious enthusiasm for a subject that fascinates him.
American Ethnologist (2009) 36: 823-824
Lancy opens the door for a spirited and engaged discussion of anthropological work on children and childhood. His analysis is complex [yet] he conveys his passion about the well-being of children regardless of geographic location. Lancy does not shy away from controversy [and] the perspective he provides on children around the world is a valuable contribution to the anthropological literature that will stimulate further research and thinking.
Current Anthropology (2010) 51: 446-448
This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about the role children play in the international network of sweatshops, slavery, and prostitution. The meaning of childhood, as most Americans understand it, is radically at odds with the meaning of childhood on other continents. Whereas most third-world societies are “gerontocracies” that prioritize the needs of adults over those of children, ours is a “neontocracy” that puts the needs and desires of children first.
ForeWord Magazine (2009) March-April
…essential reading for a broad audience interested in how children are imagined and treated in different societies as well as in different historical epochs.
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (2010) 16: 164-208
The book is a significant contribution to the field. Furthermore, it is warm, incredibly engaging, and marvelously comprehensive – the bibliography alone is invaluable. It is also a great teaching text.
Ethos (2011) 39: 1-3
The book is an amazing source of detailed information on children in diverse cultures, but also incorporates much information on primatology, evolutionary psychology, sociobiology, history, and even archaeology. In a short review I can not give even a sampling of the fascinating and important information I learned, but I guarantee that any reader will learn a great deal and should ingest much to chew and then ponder.
Play Review (2009) 31 (4): 7-8
The Anthropology of Childhood’s exhaustive literature review, careful cross-cultural examination of children, and synthetic analysis provide important insights into all aspects of childhood, as well as setting a new standard for scholarship on the subject.
Journal of Anthropological Research (2010) 66: 265-266
‘David Lancy’s The Anthropology of Childhood was essential the moment it appeared; the second edition is even better! He has digested the survey material even more, used updated materials, and held back less on his criticism of contemporary Euro-American childrearing.’
-Susan D. Blum, University of Notre Dame
‘[T]he most comprehensive, and perhaps only, review of the human child in terms of evolutionary biology and sociocultural anthropology. Based on the best of theory and field ethnography, it is essential for any study of human development and human nature.’
-Barry Bogin, Loughborough University
‘The scholarship in this book is incredibly sound and thorough in breadth and scope.’
-Rebecca Zarger, University of South Florida
‘If I were to assign just one book as required reading for students of child psychology, this would be it. It opens our all-too-parochial eyes to childhood’s possibilities.’
-Peter Gray, Boston College
‘[A] valuable forum to better understand childhood as a rapidly growing sub-field of anthropology.’
-Akira Takada, Kyoto University
‘[T]his revised version of the volume is very welcome, providing students, teachers and generalists who are interested in the subject with a broad overview of the anthropology of childhood, supported by a comprehensive and helpfully interdisciplinary bibliography.’
-Sally Crawford FSA, The University of Oxford
“David Lancy has produced a finely nuanced, beautifully written and comprehensive account of children’s lives and the meanings that adults give to childhood. Delightfully illustrated and drawing on insights from anthropology, psychology, sociology and history his book is essential for anyone interested in cross-cultural studies of childhood.”
-Heather Montgomery, Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies, The Open University
“In this comprehensive and delightful book, Lancy weaves his encyclopedic knowledge of the field of childhood across cultures into a series of thought-provoking essays that capture the wide range of children’s experience around the world. As he interprets the cultural meanings that organize their daily lives, he simultaneously performs a comprehensive cultural analysis of middle-class American childhood and parenting. This book is unique in that it will be of great value to scholars and their students across the fields of anthropology, sociology, psychology, and education, but also of great interest to parents and policy makers who want to see themselves and others more clearly.”
-Suzanne Gaskins, Professor of Psychology, Northeastern Illinois University
“Through his expansive integration of the anthropological literature, Lancy has moved the field forward towards a holistic and unified perspective on children and childhood. I can think of no other work that at once exemplifies such depth and breadth. This visionary focus joins theoretical perspectives heretofore considered disparate in a synthetic framework that redefines the anthropology of childhood.”
-John Bock, Professor of Anthropology, California State University
“In this work of stunning insight and signal importance, David Lancy frees us from constricted, culture-bound conceptions of childhood, illustrating the extraordinarily diverse forms that children’s development has taken. By dismantling narrowly ethnocentric notions of what constitutes a normal childhood, he allows us to envision alternatives to the overpressured, overorganized, overcommercialized world that today’s middle-class children inhabit.”
-Steven Mintz, University of Houston, author of Huck’s Raft: A History of American Childhood
“A wonderful, unique, and essential advance in our understanding of humankind. Anyone who cares about children (in fact, anyone who wants to understand their own life and modern society) should read this book.”
-Alan Fiske, Professor of Anthropology, Director, Center for Culture, Brain, UCLA