Becoming a Caregiver : The Role of the Environment in the Process of Children Becoming Responsible for Others
Remorini, Carolina (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Antropologia Social i Cultural)

Data:	2025
Resum:	This article aims to illustrate the pivotal role that the environment plays in early child development (ECD), drawing upon data derived from the ethnographic research on children's daily routines. Participant observation and in-depth interviews were conducted over the course of several fieldwork periods (2013-2018). The concept of "mutual raising" is employed to examine the daily interactions between middle-aged children and their domestic animals. To gain an insight into how children develop sophisticated and ecologically relevant skills to become autonomous and responsible for the care of others within the context of environmental interdependence, we present and analyze a cultural practice that is salient to the identity and way of life in rural communities of the Andean region in South America: becoming a shepherd. Considering the aforementioned findings, it can be posited that being able to care for others represents a significant developmental milestone. This discussion highlights the limitations of the dominant theoretical and disciplinary lens through which ECD is currently studied, those so-called W. E. I. R. D societies. Consequently, it is imperative to advocate for an integrative and transdisciplinary framework for ECD studies that incorporates anthropological evidence and the cultural experiences of children and families who have been historically marginalized by dominant ECD models.
Nota:	Ajuts This research was funded by CONSEJO NACIONAL DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Y TECNICAS, as part of the author research program as a member of a scientific researcher career for developing the project: "Trayectorias de desarrollo infantil en contexto ecológico. Estudio etnográfico del cuidado, la crianza y la participación de los niños/as en actividades cotidianas en comunidades rurales e indígenas". Also, it was supported by the Project N 946 "Trayectorias vitales y capital social. Etnografía aplicada al estudio de las actividades vinculadas a la producción económica, el desarrollo y la salud en contextos rurales y urbanos" supported by UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE LA PLATA (Argentina).
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Child development ; Learning ; Socio-emotional skills ; Environment ; Indigenous ; Anthropology
Publicat a:	Behavioral sciences, Vol. 15 (january 2025) , ISSN 2076-328X

DOI: 10.3390/bs15010049
PMID: 39851853

17 p, 288.6 KB

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