ABSTRACT

Whilst interdisciplinarity has been an integral part of childhood studies, it is less common for social scientists and natural scientists to collaborate in this space – and especially with scholars like environmental (nano)scientists. This paper draws on vignettes from a project about children and plastics, which combined a range of qualitative, artistic and biosampling methods. Focusing on these methodological intersections, the paper critically reflects on a range of ethical issues, including institutional ethical approval, health and risk assessments, informed consent, and data analysis. Its principal contribution is to outline significant ethical issues rarely (if ever) considered by childhood studies scholars, anticipating that doing so might support others (including those beyond childhood studies) wishing to engage in similar kinds of interdisciplinary research, especially in response to complex, pressing, socio-environmental challenges facing children. The paper’s second contribution is to offer a more systematic set of ethical considerations for burgeoning new-materialist, posthuman and post-qualitative approaches to childhood studies.

摘要

尽管跨学科性已成为儿童研究的有机组成部分，但社会科学家和自然科学家在这一领域开展合作的情况却很少见，尤其是与环境（纳米）科学家等学者合作。本文借鉴了有关儿童和塑料项目的小插曲，该项目结合了一系列定性，艺术和生物采样方法。着眼于这些方法上的交叉点，本文批判性地反映了一系列道德问题，包括机构道德批准，健康和风险评估，知情同意和数据分析。它的主要作用是概述儿童研究学者很少（如果曾经）考虑过的重大伦理问题，预期这样做可能会支持希望从事类似跨学科研究的其他人（包括那些在童年学习之后的人），尤其是应对儿童面临的复杂，紧迫，社会环境挑战。该论文的第二个贡献是为新兴的新唯物主义，后人类和后定性的儿童研究方法提供了一套更为系统的伦理考虑。