Children and Religion: Approaching Socialization Processes in Late Antiquity and the High Middle Ages

Authors

• Juhani Tähtinen Turun yliopisto
• Kirsti Salmi-Niklander Helsingin yliopisto
• Saara Tuomaala Helsingin yliopisto

Abstract

Our paper discusses the social construction of childhood in late antiquity and the high Middle Ages, and focuses on the socialization process and children’s agency in pre-modern contexts. The thematic starting point is religious practices, as religion formed the basis both for the world view and social life. Religion offers a fruitful viewpoint for social participation and for those practices of every day life by which and through which children grew up to become members of their communities as adult men and women. Religion was the primary factor in defining and delimiting the future possibilities, but it also created a space for independent action for children. The life and experiences of children were not limited to the expectations, restraints and interventions defined by the adult world, but children were active in their maturing processes. The source material for the study consists of private letters, biographical writing and canonisation processes. Methodologically the study is based on the analysis of the discursive and rhetorical strategies. The most important analytical concepts are socialisation and gender.