Grounded in the Foucauldian literature on governmentality and drawing on a broad range of disciplines, this book examines the government of childhood in the West from the early modern period to the present. The book deals with three key time-periods and examines shifts in the conceptualization and regulation of childhood and child-rearing.

Introduction: Childhood, Discourse and Power 1. Conceptualising Governmentality 2. Subjects of Freedom 3. Disciplining Childhood 4. The Gentle Way in Child Government 5. Governing the Responsible Child Conclusion

Karen M. Smith is a Lecturer at Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland and at University College Dublin, Ireland. Her research and teaching interests lie in the area of children and social policy.