Although there have always been children, the concept of "childhood" is more recent than many people think, with one French historian declaring that childhood didn't exist until the 17th century.

In this episode, we'll explore how ideas of childhood have changed, from John Locke to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from the English Romantic poets right through to the creation of the teenager in post-war America.

What exactly is a child? What is childhood? When do you stop being a child, and for what reasons?
Phillipe Ariès: the author of “Centuries of Childhood”
Infant mortality in the Medieval era
Medieval ideas of childhood
Childhood in the Enlightenment
John Locke's idea of childhood: a tabula rasa
Jean-Jacques Rousseau's idea of childhood: innate and natural, guided by emotions
The Romantics on childhood: a blissful innocence
Childhood during the Industrial Revolution
Working 68 hours a week in Victorian Britain
The Victorians develop children's literature
The invention of the teenager
Childhood today: better, worse, or just different?

Full interactive transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/history-of-childhood

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#212 | A Short History of Childhood 28:06 Share

English Learning for Curious Minds

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#212 | A Short History of Childhood