Over the last few weeks, we have published a series of blogs on the topic of 'childhood and migration,' edited by our members Adrienne Lee Atterberry (Union College, US) and Karina Ruiz (University of California Santa Cruz, US). In this concluding blog, Adrienne and Karina recap the main themes of the series, and identify avenues for future work on the subject.
Over the past few weeks, we have published a series of blogs presenting diverse perspectives on, and experiences with, childhood and migration. Together, these blogs paint a picture of childhood and migration that is reflective of societies across the globe and throughout history.
This blog series challenges notions of childhood as a qualified period of life and shows how childhood exists in a myriad of ways. A shown across the various pieces, children are not a separate sect of society but are, rather, entrenched in and impacted by the politics and practices that govern daily life. Most importantly, the series highlights how children have been involved in migration as subjects of governments, objects of investment, agents of their own lives, and symbols of remembrance.
The authors have discussed how childhood is shaped by the distinct social and political climates they migrate from; their experiences of migration, whether as unaccompanied children or with their families; and the experiences of integration as children of migrants, or as migrants themselves.
This series has shown how children experience many of the same factors faced by adults in migration processes. At times it seems that being a child can create compounded effects. Children experience both the unmitigated challenges of anti-immigrant sentiment and still do not hold enough political and social capital to challenge the systems that impact them. Moreover, children are often framed as martyrs of adults’ past crimes and visions of more just futures. If children do hold some solutions to society’s present problems, they are not in positions to make sufficient change.
Still, these works are full of hope. Children cull skills from their experiences and become adept navigators of national legislation. They also become interlocutors with the adults who uphold such policies. Children organize themselves and advocate for not only their own needs but also those of their community.
Additionally, adults work to engage with children and to continue organizing and advocating for children’s rights, whether as child migrants, as children of migrants, or as children impacted by migration policies more broadly. Perhaps most directly, adults are often caregivers, teachers, and mentors who act as both guardrails and safety nets for children’s wellbeing, seeking to ensure children’s continued growth and movement.
Future work should continue to unpack the past and present legacies of childhood and migration. More interrogations into the daily experiences and needs of children can culminate in actionable data. These works show children across place and time have always and will continue to move us forward. To aid their efforts, our scholarship and creativity should bolster intergenerational collaboration. By working with children impacted by migration, the work of adults can vow a recommitment to reparations, justice, and liberation.