Theorizing adultism: From adult domination to normative disempowerment

Abstract

This article develops a critical theory of adultism that can help both childhood studies and the larger academy to make visible the normative marginalization of children as children. Going beyond existing critical theories concerning sexism, racism, colonialism, and the like, adultism is formulated as a theory of normative disempowerment. In this way, it can function intersectionally to uncover the distinctive role of dominating adult-child binary oppositions both in childhood and across societies generally. After unpacking the history of concepts of adultism, the article constructs a systemic theory of adultism across three dimensions of ontological human being, epistemological knowledge, and political power.