This paper aims to interrogate notions of an idealized childhood through the publications of the international child rescue movement which spread from Britain to its former colonies in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. By identifying just what it was that the children targeted for rescue were seen as lacking, the paper creates the basis for a new and more textured understanding of the origins of the concept underlying much subsequent child welfare practice: the best interests of the child. It argues that while emotive images of a childhood lost were highly effective in bringing supporters and resources to the cause, there is little evidence that child rescuers believed that the children amongst whom they worked could, or should, aspire to the idealized childhood which was depicted in much of the fictional, juvenile, and guidance literature of the time.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 02:39:41 +0000
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