Interpreting and supporting participation rights: Contributions from sociocultural theory

The International Journal of Children's Rights 10: 73–88, 2002. © 2002 Kluwer Law International. Printed in the Netherlands. 73 Interpreting and supporting participation rights: Contributions from sociocultural theory ANNE B. SMITH Children's Issues Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand This paper looks at how sociocultural theories of development can contribute to understanding and developing effective ways to enhance children's partici- pation rights. "The child development industry" (Mayall, 2000, p. 129) has attracted a good deal of criticism from sociologists of childhood, and much of this criticism is well founded. Prout and James (1990) say that psychological concepts which inform