Changing texture of childhood: Palestinian children as new leisure consumers in mandatory Haifa

Abstract

During the British Mandate, the city of Haifa in Northern Palestine undergone profound cultural transformation which was manifested in the flourishing of a new range of public and commercial forms and institutions of leisure. This article analyses the ways in which Palestinian children in Haifa became legitimate and key consumers of these leisure arenas and examines the development of a cultural array especially designated for them. This, I argue, reflected the emergence of a new conception of ‘childhood’ as a socially constructed category of identity, which marked a separate phase in life, with its own specific qualities and needs. The article also shows how the shifts in the social status of children brought about inter-generational tensions that intensified in light of the political tension and the national struggle. It sheds light on the substantial expectations, which were placed on children’s shoulders with regards to the future of the budding nation.