Rethinking agency through children’s experiences of chronic illness: When being an actor also means not participating

Journal title SALUTE E SOCIETÀ
Author/s Lydie Bichet
Publishing Year 2019 Issue 2019/3
Language English Pages 14 P. 11-24 File size 160 KB
DOI 10.3280/SES2019-003002
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From the experience of chronically ill children, this article proposes to report some ambiguities existing in the notion of agency and in its application to childhood. Focusing on a ‘competence paradigm’, studies on childhood seek to take children seriously as social agents in their own right and to demonstrate their active participation and competences in the different social con-texts they live in. Nevertheless, if children sometimes want to be seen as actively engaged and competent, we will see from the point of view of chronically ill children that they do not nec-essarily express their agency in this unique way nor want to be competent in any situation and at any time. In a manner which is not always visible to adults, children might also express their agency through silences, withdrawals and other non-participatory ways.

Keywords: Childhood; Agency; Participation; Competence; Chronic illness; Type 1 diabetes.

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  • Children and Adolescents Faced with Chronic Illness: The Case of Type 1 Diabetes Virginie Vinel, Nicoletta Diasio, Lydie Bichet, in Revue des politiques sociales et familiales /2022 pp.175
    DOI: 10.3917/rpsf.145.0175
  • Les négociations de « l’équipement qui convient » : enjeux relationnels dans la prise en charge du diabète de l’enfant Lydie Bichet, in Anthropologie et Santé /2022
    DOI: 10.4000/anthropologiesante.12074
  • Enfants et adolescents face à la maladie chronique : le cas du diabète de type 1 Virginie Vinel, Nicoletta Diasio, Lydie Bichet, in Revue des politiques sociales et familiales /2021 pp.89
    DOI: 10.3917/psf.138.0089

Lydie Bichet, Rethinking agency through children’s experiences of chronic illness: When being an actor also means not participating in "SALUTE E SOCIETÀ" 3/2019, pp 11-24, DOI: 10.3280/SES2019-003002