How political is the child? Exploring children’s political agency in geo-contexts of their lives

This adult-initiated child-led study explored how children exercised political agency by raising their critical and constructive voice regarding matters that concerned them in different geo-contexts of their lives. Capitalizing on the notion of children as “political beings” and “social-political actors,” the study drew upon a geosocial approach and spatio-political socialization frameworks. Data were collected with 60 children in Istanbul at three stages spanning 9 months through creative participatory methods. Findings illustrate how children demonstrated political agency by expressing, discussing, and negotiating concerns or demands about their experiences across geo-contexts of home, school, neighborhood, city, and the Internet.