What can a child do and be today? Pedagogical reflections on children’s contribution to contemporary society

Abstract

Within the contemporary debate on social justice, there is a specific approach based on the concept of capability, in other words, revolving around the question "What can people be and do in a particular society?" (Saraceno, in Nussbaum, 2002, p. 9). This approach introduces a different point of view through reconsidering the concept of contribution: going beyond the concept of productivity contained in the market logic. This change of perspective entails critical implications on the political and social level.
This perspective is also interesting for the debate it provokes around the role children play in our societies and around the spaces devoted (and granted) to them, in order to allow them to not only participate in our society but also to contribute to it.
This paper offers a pedagogical reflection on the political and cultural strategies of our society concerning children (using the context of Italy, against the European backdrop) by considering specific elements of these
social justice theories. It will also highlight the importance of a pedagogical engagement that is capable of criticizing childhood (as a social category) in order to let children be active (as social actors).