Bedømmelsesudvalg:

• Lecturer Kathryn Howard, San Francisco State University
• Professor Wenzel Geissler, Universitetet i Oslo
• Lektor Karen Valentin, Institut for Uddannelse og Pædagogik (DPU), Aarhus Universitet (formand)

Vejledere:

• Professor Anne Holmen, Københavns Universitet (tidligere DPU)
• Lektor Christian Horst
• Lektor Eva Gulløv
• Lektor Hanne Mogensen, Københavns Universitet

Forsvaret foregår på engelsk.
(dørene lukkes præcist)

Afhandlingen udlånes på Danmarks Pædagogiske Bibliotek og ligger endvidere inden forsvaret til gennemsyn i  ph.d.-sekretariatet, Campus Emdrup (A114b).

Institut for Uddannelse og Pædagogik er vært ved en efterfølgende reception.

Abstract:

Growing up in an environment marked by uncertainty and change, children in rural Zambia are met by varying ideals and strategies of survival. Strong moral notions prevail, prescribing children to work hard in the household, engage in their school work, and abstain from theft, alcohol, sex, idleness, and other vices. Adults, however, do not always follow such prescriptions themselves, as the challenges and temptations of daily life often lead them to find more pragmatic measures.

Based on close analyses of everyday interactions among a group of school-aged children across homes, fields, classrooms and the market place, this study investigates how children encounter and negotiate notions of language, education and ‘proper personhood’ in a rural African community. Grounded in sociocultural theories of child development in Linguistic and Educational Anthropology, the study illustrates how children, like older members, seek to establish cohesive strategies and identities for themselves, even in dire and ambiguous circumstances.