Children's street culture
Encyclopedia
Children's street culture refers to the cumulative culture
created by young children. Collectively, this body of knowledge is passed down from one generation of urban children to the next, and can also be passed between different groups of children (e.g. in the form of crazes, but also in intergenerational mixing). It is most common in children between the ages of seven and twelve. It is strongest in urban working class
industrial district
s where children are traditionally free to "play out" in the streets for long periods without supervision.
-culture produced for children (e.g., comics
, television
, mass-produced toy
s, and clothing), although it may overlap.
s, playground
s, scrub and wasteland, and to local shops. It can often incorporate many found and scavenged materials such as old car seats, tyres, planks, bricks, etc. Sometimes found materials will be combined to create objects (e.g. making guys for Guy Fawkes Night
— see Beck 1984). Play will often incorporate crazes (sometimes incorporating seasonal elements that are freely collected, such as conker
s, snowballs, sycamore seeds). It also imposes imaginative status on certain sections of the urban realm (local buildings, street objects, road layouts, etc.). In summer children may use scavenged materials to create a temporary and semi-hidden 'den' or 'hideout' or 'HQ' in a marginal area near their homes, that serves as an informal meeting and relaxation place during the summer (see: Sobel, 2001). An urban area that looks faceless or neglected to an adult may have deep 'spirit of place
' meanings in children's street culture.
such as Iona Opie; street photographers
such as Roger Mayne
, Helen Levitt
, David Trainer
, Humphrey Spender and Robert Doisneau
; urbanists such as Colin Ward
and Robin Moore
, as well as being described in countless novels of childhood. The research of Robin Moore stresses children's need for 'marginal' unsupervised areas 'within running distance' of homes (scrubby bushes and hedges, disused buildings). There are now two academic journals devoted to this area, the Journal of Children's Geographies and Play & Folklore.
It has occasionally been central to feature films, such as the Our Gang
("Little Rascals") series, Ealing
's Hue and Cry
(1947) and some Children's Film Foundation films such as Go Kart, Go! and Soap Box Derby.
Since the advent of distractions such as video games, and television
, concerns have been expressed about the vitality - or even the survival - of children's street culture.
published Lynda Edwards' report "Myths Over Miami", which describes a huge consistent mythology spreading among young homeless children in the American South. The story has been picked up and reprinted many times on internet
blogs and websites. There is no known verification or confirmation that the mythology she describes actually exists, but these "secret stories" are clearly based on known elements of street culture, such as labeling certain places "haunted" or recycling legends of dangerous spirits such as Mary Worth
. The article was the basis for Mercedes Lackey
's novel Mad Maudlin, co-written with Rosemary Edghill
.
The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica entry for "Children's games" recommends: "the following works:- A. B. Gomme's Traditional Games of Great Britain (2 vols., Nutt, 1894-1898); Gomme's Children's Singing Games (Nutt, 1904); ... Newell's Games of American Children (Harper Bros., New York, 1884)."
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
created by young children. Collectively, this body of knowledge is passed down from one generation of urban children to the next, and can also be passed between different groups of children (e.g. in the form of crazes, but also in intergenerational mixing). It is most common in children between the ages of seven and twelve. It is strongest in urban working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
industrial district
Industrial district
Industrial district was initially introduced as a term to describe an area where workers of a monolithic heavy industry live within walking-distance of their places of work...
s where children are traditionally free to "play out" in the streets for long periods without supervision.
Difference from mass media culture
Children's street culture is invented and largely sustained by children themselves, although it may come to incorporate fragments of media culture and toys in its activities. It is not to be confused with the commercial mediaMass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
-culture produced for children (e.g., comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, mass-produced toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s, and clothing), although it may overlap.
Location and play materials
Young children's street culture usually takes place on quiet backstreets and sidewalks, and along routes that venture out into local parkPark
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
s, playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
s, scrub and wasteland, and to local shops. It can often incorporate many found and scavenged materials such as old car seats, tyres, planks, bricks, etc. Sometimes found materials will be combined to create objects (e.g. making guys for Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding...
— see Beck 1984). Play will often incorporate crazes (sometimes incorporating seasonal elements that are freely collected, such as conker
Conker
Conkers is a traditional English children's game played using the seeds of horse-chestnut trees – the name 'conker' is also applied to the seed and to the tree itself...
s, snowballs, sycamore seeds). It also imposes imaginative status on certain sections of the urban realm (local buildings, street objects, road layouts, etc.). In summer children may use scavenged materials to create a temporary and semi-hidden 'den' or 'hideout' or 'HQ' in a marginal area near their homes, that serves as an informal meeting and relaxation place during the summer (see: Sobel, 2001). An urban area that looks faceless or neglected to an adult may have deep 'spirit of place
Spirit of place
Spirit of place refers to the unique, distinctive and cherished aspects of a place; often those celebrated by artists and writers, but also those cherished in folk tales, festivals and celebrations...
' meanings in children's street culture.
History and research
Although it varies from place to place, research shows that it appears to share many commonalities across many cultures. It is a traditional phenomenon that has been closely investigated and documented in the western world during the 20th century by anthropologists and folkloristsFolklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
such as Iona Opie; street photographers
Street photography
Street photography is a type of documentary photography that features subjects in candid situations within public places such as streets, parks, beaches, malls, political conventions and other settings....
such as Roger Mayne
Roger Mayne
Roger Mayne is an English photographer, most famous for his documentation of the children of Southam Street, London.-Life and work:...
, Helen Levitt
Helen Levitt
Helen Levitt was an American photographer. She was particularly noted for "street photography" around New York City, and has been called "the most celebrated and least known photographer of her time."- Biography :...
, David Trainer
David Trainer
David Trainer is an American television director, perhaps best known for directing every episode of the FOX sitcom That '70s Show except the pilot "That '70s Pilot" . He also directed the first two seasons of the television show Boy Meets World and over 60 episodes of Designing Women...
, Humphrey Spender and Robert Doisneau
Robert Doisneau
Robert Doisneau was a French photographer. In the 1930s he used a Leica on the streets of Paris; together with Henri Cartier-Bresson he was a pioneer of photojournalism...
; urbanists such as Colin Ward
Colin Ward
Colin Ward was a British anarchist writer. He has been called "one of the greatest anarchist thinkers of the past half century, and a pioneering social historian." -Life:...
and Robin Moore
Robin Moore
Robert Lowell "Robin" Moore, Jr. was an American writer who is most known for his books The Green Berets, The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy and, with Xaviera Hollander and Yvonne Dunleavy, The Happy Hooker: My Own Story.Moore also co-authored...
, as well as being described in countless novels of childhood. The research of Robin Moore stresses children's need for 'marginal' unsupervised areas 'within running distance' of homes (scrubby bushes and hedges, disused buildings). There are now two academic journals devoted to this area, the Journal of Children's Geographies and Play & Folklore.
It has occasionally been central to feature films, such as the Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
("Little Rascals") series, Ealing
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
's Hue and Cry
Hue and Cry (film)
Hue and Cry is a British film directed by Charles Crichton and starring Alastair Sim, Harry Fowler and Joan Dowling.It is generally considered to be the first of the "Ealing comedies", although it is better characterised as a thriller for children...
(1947) and some Children's Film Foundation films such as Go Kart, Go! and Soap Box Derby.
Since the advent of distractions such as video games, and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, concerns have been expressed about the vitality - or even the survival - of children's street culture.
Children's urban legends
Many informal groups of small children will develop some level of superstitious beliefs about their local area. For instance:- they will believe that there are certain places that are 'unlucky' to step on (e.g.: certain large cracks in a sidewalk) or touch (e.g.: gateposts of a certain colour), or that an old woman is a 'witch', or that an abandoned house is 'haunted'. But in some extreme circumstances a consistent mythos may emerge among young children, and across a large area. One example dates from 1997, The Miami New TimesMiami New Times
The Miami New Times is a free weekly newspaper published in Miami and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami area and is headquartered near Miami's Design District.-Overview:...
published Lynda Edwards' report "Myths Over Miami", which describes a huge consistent mythology spreading among young homeless children in the American South. The story has been picked up and reprinted many times on internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
blogs and websites. There is no known verification or confirmation that the mythology she describes actually exists, but these "secret stories" are clearly based on known elements of street culture, such as labeling certain places "haunted" or recycling legends of dangerous spirits such as Mary Worth
Bloody Mary (folklore)
Bloody Mary is a ghost or witch featured in English folklore. She is said to appear in a mirror when her name is called three times or sometimes more while in a dark room, depending upon the version of the story, often as part of a game or dare.-Overview:...
. The article was the basis for Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes "Misty" Lackey is a best-selling American author of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar...
's novel Mad Maudlin, co-written with Rosemary Edghill
Rosemary Edghill
Rosemary Edghill is an American writer and editor, who has often used that pseudonym in place of her legal name, eluki bes shahar...
.
See also
- Child artChild artChild art is the drawings, paintings and other artistic works created by children. It is also referred to as "children's art" or the "art of children"....
- Childhood secret clubChildhood secret clubA childhood secret club is an informal organization created by children.-Key elements:Some defining features of a childhood secret club are:Names. Unlike cliques, these associations have names. Giving a name to the group is what creates the club...
- Children's geographiesChildren's geographiesChildren's geographies is an area of study within human geography and Childhood Studies which involves researching the places and spaces of children's lives....
- Children's street gamesChildren's street gamesThis is a list of games that are traditionally played by urban children in playgrounds, parking lots, and back streets. They are all games which may be played on a hard surface, like asphalt...
- Peter and Iona OpiePeter and Iona OpieIona Archibald Opie and Peter Mason Opie were a husband-and-wife team of folklorists, who applied modern techniques to children's literature, summarized in their studies, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren...
- List of traditional children's games
- Playground songPlayground songA playground song is a song sung by children, usually on a playground or other children's gathering place. Most such songs are traditional in nature and are passed, with constantly evolving regional variations, down the generations...
- Tree houseTree houseTree houses, treehouses, or tree forts, are platforms or buildings constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level...
- Truce termsTruce termsA truce term is a word or short phrase accepted within a community of children as an effective way of calling for a temporary respite or truce during a game or activity. Common examples in English speaking cultures are barley, fainites, crosses and kings in the United Kingdom, pegs and nibs in New...
Non-fiction
- Ervin Beck. "Children's Guy Fawkes Customs in Sheffield", Folklore, 95 (1984), 191-203.
- Simon Bronner. American Children's Folklore (1988).* Robin MooreRobin MooreRobert Lowell "Robin" Moore, Jr. was an American writer who is most known for his books The Green Berets, The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy and, with Xaviera Hollander and Yvonne Dunleavy, The Happy Hooker: My Own Story.Moore also co-authored...
. Childhood's Domain: Play and Place (1986). (In-depth advanced study of three small areas of England, with maps and photos). - Iona Opie. The People in the Playground (1993) (In-depth study of children's playground lore and life).
- Iona Opie. The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (1959).
- Steve Roud, The Lore of the Playground, Random House (2010). ISBN 9781905211517
- Smith, Robert Paul. Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. (1957) (Memoir focusing on children's pastimes, New York, 1920s)
- David Sobel. Mapmaking with Children: Sense of Place Education for the Elementary Years (1998).
- David Sobel. Children's Special Places: Exploring the Role of Forts, Dens, and Bush Houses in Middle Childhood (2001).
- Leea Virtanen. Children's Lore (1978). (English-translation of a 30,000-sample study from Finland).
- Colin WardColin WardColin Ward was a British anarchist writer. He has been called "one of the greatest anarchist thinkers of the past half century, and a pioneering social historian." -Life:...
(with photos by Ann Golzen). The Child in the City (1977). (Groundbreaking key book, with a focus on the British experience).
The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica entry for "Children's games" recommends: "the following works:- A. B. Gomme's Traditional Games of Great Britain (2 vols., Nutt, 1894-1898); Gomme's Children's Singing Games (Nutt, 1904); ... Newell's Games of American Children (Harper Bros., New York, 1884)."
Photography books
- Roger MayneRoger MayneRoger Mayne is an English photographer, most famous for his documentation of the children of Southam Street, London.-Life and work:...
. Street Photographs of Roger Mayne (1996, Victoria and Albert MuseumVictoria and Albert MuseumThe Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
). - Robert DoisneauRobert DoisneauRobert Doisneau was a French photographer. In the 1930s he used a Leica on the streets of Paris; together with Henri Cartier-Bresson he was a pioneer of photojournalism...
. Les Enfants, Les Gosses (1992). - Helen LevittHelen LevittHelen Levitt was an American photographer. She was particularly noted for "street photography" around New York City, and has been called "the most celebrated and least known photographer of her time."- Biography :...
. In The Street: chalk drawings and messages, New York City 1938-1948. (1987) — (Chalkings and children making them) - Eddie Elliott (Curator). Knock Down Ginger: Seventy Years of Street Kids (Exhibition, Photographers' Gallery, London; July 2001).
- Les Enfants (Editions de La Martinière, France, 2001) (Anthology of French street photography of children; by Ronis, Riboud, Doisneau, Cartier Bresson, and others).
- R.S. Johnson & J.T. Oman. Street Children (1964). Hodder & Stoughton, London. (Photography & poetic text on facing pages, re: young British children's street play).
Television documentaries
- Ian Duncan. (Dir.) Picture This: Playing Out (BBC2 1992)
- Ian Duncan. (Dir.) The Secret World of Children (BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
1993) - The Singing Street (1951).
- Dusty Bluebells (BBC Northern Ireland, early 1970s), and the follow-up film showing how the street's child-friendly nature had been destroyed by cars, This Is Not a Car Park (1993).
- Where do the Children Play? (NBC and University of Michigan, 2008)