A children's election-Dilemmas of children's political participation

In this article, we explore how fifth graders (9-10-year-olds) and their teachers view children's participation in a parliamentary election for children arranged by Save the Children Norway in 2017. The participants draw on available discursive resources when making sense of children's political positions in society. In the discursive resources, longstanding tensions surrounding children, childhood and politics come to the surface. We conclude that although children's position in politics remains marginal, there are ways to move beyond the tensions to be able to imagine children as political actors.

Automated summary

The study found that students and teachers draw on available discursive resources when discussing children's participation in politics, thereby revealing tensions surrounding children, childhood, and politics. Despite children's marginal position in politics, there is potential to move beyond these tensions and imagine children as political actors.