Beyond otherness: Exploring diverse spatialities and mobilities of childhood and youth populations

Abstract

This paper sets the context for the special edition. The themed collection begins to address questions raised about the level of engagement of Geographies of Children and Youth with wider social and cultural theory. We argue that there are some commonalities with critiques levelled at Population Geography, and suggest that dialogue between the two subdisciplines provides a useful way forward. We suggest going beyond the 'otherness' of childhood to consider how children, young people, and adults are dissected and connected by axes of difference and similarity which reproduce broader-scale 'population' (in)equalities. Key themes emerging from this dialogue by the papers in the special edition include an emphasis on small-scale micro-mobilities (e.g. between the school and home, and around locales), which are essential aspects of everyday life. Despite their importance, these micro-mobilities have been somewhat neglected by population geographers as they do not create sustained demographic shifts. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.