Abstract

LIEBEL, Manfred  and  SAADI, Iven. Children’s Participation in the Traps of Cultural Diversity. Desacatos [online]. 2012, n.39, pp.123-140. ISSN 2448-5144.

In this paper we compare concepts and practices of children’s participation in different cultural contexts.We ask if the active role and the responsibilities conceded to children in "non-occidental" cultures can be understood as modes of participation which possibly go beyond "occidental" concepts. In the first part, we study the concept of participation with a view to semantic aspects and compare different concepts and objectives,and then we question specific aspects of the "occidental" discourse.The second part particularly refers to children’s participation and discusses its relation to generational hierarchies. In the same context, we discuss different forms of participatory praxis with and by children.We ask if the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child appropriately captures the dimensions of children’s participatory practice in different cultures. Considering this problem, we finally address the topic of political participation.

Keywords : participation; children’s participation; cultural diversity; children’s rights; generational order.