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Children's Rights and the Imagination of Community in Bangladesh

University of Bath, S.C.White{at}bath.ac.uk

This paper suggests that sharply divergent images of children in Bangladesh reflect different `imagined communities' of society and polity, local and global. Universal concepts of `the rights of the child' contrast strongly with a local culture of `guardianship', as the key social institution that governs children's lives. How might bringing these together affect both analysis and action? Engaging with both the politics of development agency and the anthropology of Bangladesh, the paper asks if the boundaries of community might be `re-imagined' to mobilize more positive cultural and material resources for the children at the margins.

Key Words: Bangladesh • child rights • community • culture of childhood • international development

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Childhood, Vol. 14, No. 4, 505-520 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0907568207086412


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by White, S. C. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?