Parent–child relations at the crossroads of care, rights and governance

VERGARA-DEL SOLAR, ANA; LLOBET, VALERIA

CHILDHOOD-A GLOBAL JOURNAL OF CHILD RESEARCH

Sage

Año: 2026

0907-5682

This introductory article examines parent–child relationships as a crucial—yet surprisinglyunderstudied—site for understanding childhood. It sets out the conceptual andanalytical framework that brings the contributions to this Special Issue into dialogue.Childhood Studies has extensively analysed children’s experiences, agency, andcultures, while mainstream parenting studies have largely focused on expert discourses onchild-rearing. Yet the relationship itself—the ongoing, lived relation between parents andchildren—has remained largely undertheorised.This Special Issue addresses that gap by bringing together empirical and theoreticalcontributions that treat the parent–child relationship not merely as a backdrop tochildhood, but as a central site of care, power, meaning-making, and political struggle.Taken together, the articles argue that this relationship is essential to understanding howchildhood is produced, governed, and lived in contemporary contexts.