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What does “Good Childhood” in a Comparative Perspective Mean? An Explorative Comparison of Child Well-Being in Nepal and Germany

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Abstract

In this paper we want to point out the need of sensitivity to the dominance of western ideas and concepts of childhood. With special regard to the universally oriented concept of a good life by Martha Nussbaum, that takes the specific context into account, we try to measure a set of dimensions in completely different contexts. The focus is put on the concept underlying the Third World Vision Survey “Children in Germany” and a small survey on child well-being in Nepal, which is the first childhood-theory-oriented study in this country. The subsequent discussion on the need for a universally oriented framework leads us to conclude that there is a need for more explorative research using more open and less pre-defined methods if we are to gain an idea of what constitutes and composes (good) childhood in the different contexts to be found in non-western countries.

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Notes

  1. The items have been translated freely by the author. The original German items were: (1) Ich glaube, mein Leben wird richtig schön, (2) Ich glaube, dass ich viele Dinge gut kann, (3) Schwierige Sachen bekomme ich gut hin, wenn ich mich anstrenge.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Educational Science, Institute of Social Pedagogy and Adult Education, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Johanna Wilmes & Sabine Andresen

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  1. Johanna Wilmes
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  2. Sabine Andresen
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Correspondence to Johanna Wilmes.

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Wilmes, J., Andresen, S. What does “Good Childhood” in a Comparative Perspective Mean? An Explorative Comparison of Child Well-Being in Nepal and Germany. Child Ind Res 8, 33–47 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-014-9292-0

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