This up-to-date text is suitable for students in all early year education courses that include a module on global childhoods. Taking an ecological approach, the book examines how culture and society shape childhoods by considering the lived experiences of children internationally. It begins by questioning the meaning of childhood and explores the historical, cultural, and social views of childhood and children, including the roles of race, class, and gender. The book considers families and parenting from a global perspective, and it looks at the relationship between the state and children by evaluating international approaches to education, health, and welfare, as well as the ways inequalities between the minority and majority world impact children. The role of research, on and with children in informing these debates, is fully explored. Most importantly, the reader will be challenged to reflect on how global perspectives can be used to support an understanding of inclusion and diversity in their practice. *** Librarians: ebook available on ProQuest and EBSCO (Series: Critical Approaches to the Early Years) [Subject: Education, Sociology, Children's Studies, Family Studies]