Conclusion: Towards Embodied Theories, Methodologies and Pedagogies

Abstract

In this concluding chapter, we aim to draw together the conceptual, methodological and empirical threads that connect the chapters and sections in the collection; and to consider the implications of this work for the field of youth and childhood studies. We begin our discussion by considering the most recent theo-retical developments in the field, in relation to a materialist turn in social science research. We discuss the theoretical underpinnings of this perspective, and the ways in which the chapters in this collection intersect with or realise some of the chal-lenges posed by this perspective. The Materialist Turn Recent years have seen an emergence of interest in understanding the materiality of the social. This can be seen across a wide range of social science disciplines including sociology, anthropology, political science, philosophy, feminist studies, educational studies, queer studies and postcolonial studies to name a few. This signals that 'the more textual approaches associated with the so-called cultural turn are increasingly being deemed inadequate for understanding contemporary soci-ety…' (Coole and Frost 2010, p. 2). The insistence that theorising embodiment is central to understanding gender relations places feminism at the forefront of