2025/04/13 by Ingvild Kvale Sørenssen · 1 voice · 2 citations
Social Sciences · #Children's Rights and Participation #Gender, Feminism, and Media #Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
paper · doi:10.1177/09075682251334341
openalex publication_date 2025/04/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Age categories gloss over complexities and nuances, and are sometimes used as an uncritical entity in childhood studies. This study explores how Norwegian seventh-grade girls, considered to be tweens, understand and enact their age through a relational ontological approach. Theoretically the concept of “age as enactment” is suggested, showing how age is produced in heterogeneous assemblages. The study finds that “age-shifting,” how girls navigate between child and teenager repertoires, a primary feature for tween girls. The concept of age-shifting allow us to view age as both a social strategy and as flexible, contextually, and relationally enacted.