The Slow Work of Democracy: Resisting Reductionist Views of Women and Children

Abstract

In her research article "State your defense!": Children negotiate analytic frames in the context of deliberative dialogue," Hauver offers important contributions to the field of elementary civic education that illuminate how young people apply various analytical frames to make collective decisions. First, I highlight significant contributions of her work, namely children's capabilities to build perspective-taking through dialogue, which I suggest can be more solidly grounded in a sociocultural framework, not a developmental one. Second, I offer suggestions toward such a theoretical framework that loosens determinism for children's development and offers a less deterministic framework for women. My review seeks to amplify Hauver's important findings by suggesting more theoretical cohesion as well as more contemporary and critical frameworks. [For "'State Your Defense!' Children Negotiate Analytic Frames in the Context of Deliberative Dialogue," see EJ1162608.]