Children as 'Being and Becomings:' Children, Childhood and Temporality

Notions of "being" and "becoming" are intrinsic to childhood research. Whilst the "being" child is seen as a social actor actively constructing "childhood," the "becoming" child is seen as an "adult in the making," lacking competencies of the "adult" that he or she will "become." However, I argue that both approaches are in themselves problematic. Instead, theorising children as "being and becomings" not only addresses the temporality of childhood that children themselves voice, but presents a conceptually realistic construction suitable to both childhood researchers and practitioners.