Masticating ‘quality’ and spitting the bits out

This paper considers what the repercussions are when the concept of ‘quality’ is examined within the epistemological and ontological theoretical shifts that are afforded by posthumanism. In particular, Braidotti’s (2006) configuring of thinking as ‘nomadic activity’, and the need for process ontology (Braidotti, 2006) together with Massumi’s (2011) ideas relating to activist philosophy create the necessary conceptual space for thinking differently. The paper takes as a point of departure ethnographic data that has emerged from the twin locations of Norway and England that broadly centres on some of the practices, habits and mundanities that are associated with Norwegian and English children (aged between 2 and 4 years) eating food whilst attending their barnehagene or preschool setting. It is within the milieu of eating that we take up the challenge of confronting ‘quality’ where we question whether it is possible to put to one side a universal standard so as to consider other potentialities. Inevitably, we conclude with more questions than answers

Prison Cell Spaces, Bodies and Touch

The prison cell is both a concrete place experienced by physical bodies and an imagined room that we meet in fiction, films and, also more recently, via penal tourism (Turner 2013). The prison cell symbolises penalty (Foucault 1977) and is, in classic penological literature, considered to be the most intimate and private space within the prison where the prisoner rests, sleeps, eats and is alone with their thoughts (Gramsci 1947). Through Jean-Luc Nancy’s (2008) concept of touching, this chapter disrupts traditional understandings of the prison cell as an isolated unit within the prison by exploring various prison cells, their boundaries and extensions. The analysis is facilitated by material generated through a comparative study in two female prisons in Italy and Norway and highlights three spaces crucially related to the cell: inside cell spaces, corridor spaces and threshold spaces. Grosz’ (1994) concept of bodies in-place and out-of-place helps to highlight the cultural meanings connected to embodied practices in various prison cell spaces and how such prison cell spaces touch and are touched by female bodies. The intention with this chapter is to develop an analytical optic regarding the relationship between prison cell spaces, bodies and touch. Touch, within this analytical gaze, is not just a concept we use to analyse the material conducted, but is crucial for us as researchers as we ‘touch’ and are ‘touched by’ our research field through our mode of study and the classifications and concepts we use. In this way, the chapter explores prison cells by putting ontological and epistemological questions at the core of the analysis. The first section of the chapter introduces the analytical framework related to sensuous architecture and the philosophy of touch. In the second section, we introduce the context and our methodological strategy; and, in the third, we present the analysis of three spaces intrinsic to the prison cell: inside cell spaces, corridor spaces and threshold spaces and their relationship with touch

Sustainability education in early childhood: An updated review of research in the field

Sustainability education is increasingly practiced in early childhood, but a previous review of the literature suggests that there is little empirical research to provide the necessary foundation and critique. The current paper addresses the question of whether there has been an increase in empirical research in the field since this review, and if so, what are the theoretical and methodological developments informing this research. The method of the study is to review the literature in the field following similar processes to the previous review in order to provide a comparison. The articles identified were then categorized and evaluated according to their different theoretical and methodological orientations. The review found that there are twice as many articles as identified in the previous study and that these articles are now equally published in mainstream and environmental education journals. A meta-analysis of the articles using a typology of methodological orientations provided a basis for critique. Three major categories of theoretical orientation were identified as: Connection to nature; Children’s rights; and Post-human frameworks with varying degrees of theoretical engagement. It is recommended that new post-human frameworks recently applied in early childhood education research could usefully be connected to researching early childhood education for planetary sustainability

Infants' practices: Shaping (and shaped by) the arrangements of early childhood education

Research about infant pedagogy is often restricted to educators’ espoused beliefs and interpretations, with a limited view into how those beliefs might be enacted in practice and potentially impact on babies’ lived experiences. This chapter examines infants’ practices in early childhood education (ECE) contexts, and the arrangements of ECE practice that enable and constrain them. Drawing on data generated from the author’s doctoral study, the chapter considers the conceptions of educators as among the practice architectures which shape infants’ practices. How educators’ conceptions of infants’ capabilities manifest in their sayings, doings, and relatings is briefly explored. The primary focus on infants’ subsequent practices reveals the potential impact of the practice architectures of ECE on opportunities for babies’ learning, and adds to existing literature about infants’ lived experiences in ECE settings. Infants’ practices are not only shaped by the practice architectures of ECE, they also shape the practices of educators and, so, the practice architectures of their particular setting. Implications for the agency of infants in actively contributing to their lived experiences in ECE settings are discussed