De la participación adultocéntrica a la disidente: La otra participación infantil

Abstract

This research is based on a theoretical approach of the new studies of childhood, which considers girls and boys not as mere objects of study but rather as social subjects capable of offering their version of social reality, as well as reflecting and theorizing about it. The purpose of the study was to examine how children conceive and build their participation. We followed qualitative methodology, and performed ten discussion groups, involving seventy Chilean girls and boys from various educational centers and places in the country aged between 10 and 14. We identified seven discursive positions regarding infant participation. The results allowed us to affirm that apart of the dominant Adult-centric participation there is a Dissident position, which deconstructs the hegemonic metanarratives, positioning itself in favor of an alternative infant participation, characterized as more democratic, creative and inclusive.