Barns levda medborgarskap : en studie av barns vardagskunskaper om olycksrisker och säkerhet

Sammanfattning: Child safety is a well investigated field of research, as is the field of children’s citizenship. This study explores the intersection between these two areas. The aim of the study is to explore children’s lived citizenship from their everyday knowledge about injury risks and safety. The idea of "lived citizenship" refers to how children understand and negotiate rights and responsibilities, and to how they actually practice their citizenship in their daily lives. In the study, a concept of citizenship is used, defining it as composed of the following dimensions: rights, responsibilities, participation, identity, membership, equal status, respect, and recognition.In the study children in grades 2, 5 and 8 participated in focus group interviews. The results of the study suggest that, although the children had good awareness of risk and safety, they regarded risk as something largely positive, connecting it with opportunities for challenges and exciting adventures. School rules and also traffic rules were frequently called into question by the children, even though they were very well aware of the potential physical or legal consequences. The rules at the children’s sports clubs, in contrast, were not challenged.Talk of injury risks and safety may be understood as individual and collective identity work. When children told stories about injuries and accidents, they were also telling stories about themselves, who they were, and where they belonged. Being adventurous and daring gave status in the groups for both girls and boys. Drawing on the results an “action zone,” as an analytical concept is suggested. The action zone is about the physical and symbolic dynamic space where children can move and act independently. Some features of the action zone are proposed in terms of boundaries, boundary guards, (rules, norms and authorities), negotiation, boundary crossing, identity, self-management and situated agency. I argue that the concept puts focus on children’s lived citizenship as a whole and that the physical aspect of citizenship is emphasized.