The Anthropology of Childhood Cherubs, Chattel, Changelings

Before beginning a review of the cultural context for adolescent development, I will touch on “middle childhood” a newly emerging field of study that examines the period between childhood and adolescence. Physiological changes associated with the period between ages seven and twelve include the full maturation of the brain and the onset of adrenarche (increase in the adrenal production of the neurosteroid DHEAS) and a modest increase in growth referred to as the “mid-growth spurt” (Campbell 2011). The complementary cultural components of middle childhood will also be reviewed.

Adolescence is associated with more dramatic physiological change, notably puberty and a rapid growth spurt (Bogin 1994). First menses is often treated as an important milestone, sometimes triggering an elaborate series of rites to mark the change in a young woman’s status. Other physiological markers may be treated as culturally salient. “’Youth’ on Vanatinai begins at about age fourteen, or when the signs of puberty … are visible to onlookers.