Children's street culture refers to the cumulative
culture
Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
created by young
children
A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...
. 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
The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
industrial district
Industrial district (ID) is a place where workers and firms, specialised in a main industry and auxiliary industries, live and work. The concept was initially used by Alfred Marshall to describe some aspects of the industrial organisation of nat ...
s where children are traditionally free to
play outside 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
media
Media may refer to:
Communication
* Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data
** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising
** Interactive media, media that is inter ...
-culture produced ''for'' children (e.g.,
comics
a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
,
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
, mass-produced
toy
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and p ...
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
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
s,
playground
A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...
s, scrub and wasteland, and to local shops. It can often incorporate many found and scavenged materials such as old car seats, tires, planks, bricks, etc. Sometimes found materials will be combined to create objects (e.g. making
guys for
Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Fireworks Night, is an annual commemoration list of minor secular observances#November, observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain, involving bonfires and firewor ...
).
Play will often incorporate
crazes (sometimes incorporating seasonal elements that are freely collected, such as
conkers
Conkers is a List of traditional children's games, traditional children's game in Great Britain and Ireland played using the seeds of Aesculus hippocastanum, horse chestnut trees—the name 'conker' is also applied to the seed and to the tree i ...
, 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, which serves as an informal meeting and relaxation place. An urban area that looks faceless or neglected to an adult may have deep "
spirit of place" meanings in children's street culture.
History and research
Although children's street activity varies from place to place, research shows that it appears to share many commonalities across many cultures.
As a traditional phenomenon it has been closely investigated and documented in the
western world
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...
during the 20th century by
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...
s and
folklorists such as
Iona Opie;
street photographers such as
Roger Mayne
Roger Mayne (5 May 1929 – 7 June 2014) was an English photographer, best known for his documentation of the children of Southam Street, London.
Life and work
Born in Cambridge, Mayne studied Chemistry at Balliol College, Oxford University. Her ...
,
Helen Levitt
Helen Levitt (August 31, 1913 – March 29, 2009) was an American photographer and cinematographer. She was particularly noted for her street photography around New York City. David Levi Strauss described her as "the most celebrated and lea ...
,
David Trainer
David Trainer is an American television director. He is known for directing every episode of the Fox sitcom ''That '70s Show'', with the exception of " That '70s Pilot", which was directed by Terry Hughes instead, and every episode of the Netfli ...
,
Humphrey Spender
Humphrey Spender (19 April 1910 – 11 March 2005) was a British photographer, painter, and designer.
Family and education
Humphrey Spender was the third son of Harold Spender, a journalist and writer. Humphrey's mother, Violet Schuster, came ...
and
Robert Doisneau
Robert Doisneau (; 14 April 1912 – 1 April 1994) was a French photographer. From the 1930s, he photographed the streets of Paris. He was a champion of humanist photography and, with Henri Cartier-Bresson, a pioneer of photojournalism.
D ...
; urbanists such as
Colin Ward
Colin Ward (14 August 1924 – 11 February 2010) 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). Two academic journals emerged to discuss this area, the ''Journal of Children's Geographies'' an
''Play & Folklore''
Children's street-culture has occasionally been central to feature films, such as the ''
Our Gang
''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...
'' ("Little Rascals") series (1922 onwards),
Ealing's
''Hue and Cry'' (1947) and some
Children's Film Foundation
The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) is a non-profit organisation which makes films and other media for children in the United Kingdom. Originally it made films to be shown as part of children's Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. Th ...
productions such as ''Go Kart, Go!'' (1963) and ''The Soap Box Derby'' (1958).
The spread of distractions such as
video games
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
, the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
, and
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
has raised concerns about the vitality or survival of children's street culture. The
effects of the automobile on society have also been blamed for a decline in children's street-culture, due to safety concerns about children playing outside; between 1922 and 1933, over 12,000 children in
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...
were killed in accidents involving motor vehicles. The designating of
play streets ("home zones") militates against such decline.
Children's urban legends
Many informal groups of small children will develop some level of superstitious beliefs about their local area. For instance, they may 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 color) or pass beyond (such as the end of the
sidewalk
A sidewalk (North American English),
pavement (British English, South African English), or footpath (Hiberno-English, Irish English, Indian English, Australian English, New Zealand English) is a path along the side of a road. Usually constr ...
, beyond which is another
dimension
In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a mathematical space (or object) is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus, a line has a dimension of one (1D) because only one coo ...
inhabited by the
bogeyman
The bogeyman (; also spelled or known as bogyman, bogy, bogey, and, in US English, also boogeyman) is a mythical creature typically used to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearances, and conceptions vary drast ...
), or that an old woman is a "
witch
Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...
", or that an abandoned house is "haunted". But in some extreme circumstances, a consistent myth may emerge among young children, and across a large area. One example dates from 1997; the ''
Miami New Times
The ''Miami New Times'' is a newspaper published in Miami, Florida, United States, and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami metropolitan area, and is headquartered in Miami's Wynwood Art District.
Overview
It was acquired ...
'' published Lynda Edwards' report "Myths Over Miami", which describes a huge consistent mythology spreading among young
homeless
Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...
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,
[Ian Simmons]
Twenty Years of Myths Over Miami
''Fortean Times'', Christmas 2017. 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
Bloody Mary. The article was the basis for
Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Ritchie Lackey (born June 24, 1950) is an American writer of Fantasy literature, 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 (fictional co ...
's novel ''Mad Maudlin'', co-written with
Rosemary Edghill, and the reported childlore was also adapted as the basis of one of the myths in
Ursula Vernon's
Hugo Award-winning webcomic
Digger.
See also
References
Works cited
* Ervin Beck. "Children's Guy Fawkes Customs in Sheffield", ''Folklore'', 95 (1984), 191-203.
* David Sobel. ''Children's Special Places: Exploring the Role of Forts, Dens, and Bush Houses in Middle Childhood'' (2001).
*
Further reading
Non-fiction
*
Simon Bronner
Simon J. Bronner (; born April 7, 1954, in Haifa, Israel) is an American folklorist, ethnologist, historian, sociologist, educator, college dean, and author.
Life and career
Bronner's parents were Polish-Jewish Holocaust survivors who immigra ...
. ''American Children's Folklore'' (1988).
* Robin C. Moore. ''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).
*
Robert Paul Smith. 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).
* Leea Virtanen. ''Children's Lore'' (1978). (English-translation of a 30,000-sample study from Finland).
*
Colin Ward
Colin Ward (14 August 1924 – 11 February 2010) (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 Mayne
Roger Mayne (5 May 1929 – 7 June 2014) was an English photographer, best known for his documentation of the children of Southam Street, London.
Life and work
Born in Cambridge, Mayne studied Chemistry at Balliol College, Oxford University. Her ...
. ''Street Photographs of Roger Mayne'' (1996,
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
).
*
Robert Doisneau
Robert Doisneau (; 14 April 1912 – 1 April 1994) was a French photographer. From the 1930s, he photographed the streets of Paris. He was a champion of humanist photography and, with Henri Cartier-Bresson, a pioneer of photojournalism.
D ...
. ''Les Enfants, Les Gosses'' (1992).
*
Helen Levitt
Helen Levitt (August 31, 1913 – March 29, 2009) was an American photographer and cinematographer. She was particularly noted for her street photography around New York City. David Levi Strauss described her as "the most celebrated and lea ...
. ''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'' (
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
1992)
* Ian Duncan. (Dir.) ''The Secret World of Children'' (
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
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)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Children's Street Culture
Cultural geography