Of Children, Objects, and Seeing
This chapter outlines the aims of the book and introduces its methodology. It explores the notion of childhood as a construct used by adults for emotional, social, and legal purposes. It provides an overview of influential theories concerning childhood, distinguishing between biological and social models of development, and highlighting that the majority of such studies have been carried out in the Global North. It introduces the concept of the aesthetic social imagination as the basis for understanding the social functions of visual and material objects, and in the process, it explores the nature of visuality and the agency of objects. Finally, it provides a brief overview of the use of visual images in literature for children in Islamic societies.