Investigating children in social movements in Latin America

(or what we learned from them in our research)

Abstract

This paper aims to reflect on the ethical-methodological challenges in research with children in social movements in the struggle for housing and land rights. This effort is the result of two doctoral investigations in the field of childhood studies with the following subjects: children from an urban occupation in Belo Horizonte (MG); and children from a camp of the Movement of Landless Workers (MST) in the countryside of the state of Sao Paulo. We begin presenting some elements that bring both investigations together when entering the field, placing them within the scope of research with children in non-institutionalized contexts in Latin America. Then, we present the different methodological paths followed, given the dynamics of the social movements investigated and the relations established between researchers and subjects. Finally, we point out some issues for a critical perspective on contemporary childhood studies.