Acknowledgments. Introduction. 1 Childhood within Anthropology. Introduction. Children: The First Primitives. Culture and Personality. Cross-Cultural Studies of Child-Rearing. Children in British Anthropology. The Gendered Child. Child-Centered Anthropology. Conclusion. 2 What is a Child? Introduction. Childhood as a Modern Idea: The Influence of Philippe Aries. Conceptualizations of Childhood. Children as Incompetent or Subordinate. Children as Equals. Children as a Means of Forming Families and Giving Status. Children as an Economic Investment. Unwanted and Nonhuman Children. Conclusion. 3 The Beginning of Childhood. Introduction. Fetuses. Spirit Children. Reincarnation. Anomalies. Conclusion. 4 Family, Friends, and Peers. Introduction. The Role of Parents. Adoption and Fosterage. Children outside the Family. Siblings. Friends and Peer Groups. Conclusion. 5 Talking, Playing, and Working. Introduction. Learning Language. Children and Play. Work or Play? Conclusion. 6 Discipline, Punishment, and Abuse. Introduction. Discipline and Punishment in the Western Tradition. Physical Punishment. Alternatives to Physical Punishment. Who Can Punish Children? Child Abuse. Conclusion. 7 Children and Sexuality. Introduction. Anthropology, Sexuality, and Childhood. Children and Sex: The Influence of Freud. Incest and Abuse. Ethnographies of Children and Sexuality. Child Prostitution. Conclusion. 8 Adolescence and Initiation. Introduction. What is Adolescence? Adolescence and Globalization. Initiation. Initiation: A Psychological Approach. Initiation and Education. Initiation and Gender. Initiation: The End of Childhood? Conclusion. Conclusion. Bibliography. Index.