Child as Method

This essential work offers a radical rethinking of child development that challenges the very foundations of developmental psychology. Burman dismantles the universalizing assumptions that have long dominated the field, exposing how Western developmental models have been weaponized to pathologize difference and reinforce colonial power structures. Through her "child as method" framework, she demonstrates how childhood functions as a political construct that shapes everything from educational policy to immigration law. This isn't just academic theory—it's a critical toolkit for understanding how childhood has been instrumentalized across psychology, education, and social policy.

What makes this volume particularly compelling is how Burman connects developmental psychology's problematic legacy to contemporary social justice issues, showing how current assessment practices and educational standards continue to marginalize children from diverse cultural backgrounds. Readers interested in critical psychology, decolonial approaches, and educational equity will find this synthesis both intellectually rigorous and practically relevant. The book ultimately reframes childhood not as a biological given but as a political category whose reconstruction is essential for creating more just and inclusive societies.