| dc.description.abstract | People’s and place’s identities can be viewed as dynamic and interrelated, for as Cresswell (1996) put it, “What one’s place is, is clearly related to one’s relations to others” (p.3). But to what extent and in which ways are children’s subjective experiences of place being explored within academia? This thesis draws on childhood studies’ interest in producing knowledge about children’s lived experiences and sociocultural geography’s interest in social identities and sense of place to explore research into children’s spatial subjectivities in light of social diversity. To this end, a systematic literature review was undertaken which analyzed studies identified through a systematic search of the database Scopus. Potentially relevant peer-reviewed studies were located via a search of the database Scopus using key terms related to children, place, identity, and diversity. These articles were then screened according to preset inclusion/exclusion criteria, eventually yielding 110 references. A multi-level analysis was carried out on these studies. This thesis presents the results of these analyses, providing an orienting overview of the research field and sharing insights gained from an immersion in the literature. The first analysis chapter presents the bulk analysis which provides an overview of the research field and identifies a core group of studies which focused most specifically on children’s sense of place/diversity in relation to social difference. Tendencies and main themes were found in regard to disciplinary background, geographic spread, thematic foci, and included axes of diversity. Social science disciplinarity, Minority World (especially European) contexts, and “minority group” participants were found to dominate the literature. The most prevalent thematic focus was found to be identity processes, followed by sense of place or belonging. An in-depth analysis of the core group of studies is presented in the second and third analysis chapters. Part 1 of the core analysis focuses on significant tendencies in the methods and theories employed in the research field. Key trends are discussed, particularly regarding a reliance on verbal methods and qualitative analysis, participants from older age groups, and fieldwork which focused on place at local and domestic scales in Minority World contexts. Intriguing patterns in how diversity was incorporated in the articles’ analyses are also discussed. Part 2 of the core analysis outlines some key areas of findings, namely, the significance of social and material dimensions of place in children’s sense of place, children’s placemaking practices, and the ambiguous nature of belonging. Core analysis, Part 2, also illuminates predominant themes found in the literature: social difference as structurally constrained, yet unfixed; risk and safety; and diversity as a daily experience. In the process of presenting key findings and dominant themes within the core group, I also identify possible blind spots and challenges for this area of the research field. The work closes by addressing the implications of the project and its relevance to ongoing debates within childhood studies. On the whole, this work hopes to contribute to the field of research into social difference and children’s sense of place by presenting novel understandings alongside an organized and distilled report of the field. It thus highlights the value, as well as the challenges, of conducting systematic literature reviews on broad topics within a field as expansive and interdisciplinary as childhood studies. | |
