You said, ‘Black girl’: doing difference in early childhood

This article draws on a larger study that examined the constructions of childhood by young children in early childhood centres. Ten boys and girls, between the ages two and four, from two early childhood centres in urban KwaZulu-Natal, participated in the study. The article explores the multiple ways in which young children use discourse and context to interpret differences around race, gender and other social identities. We draw on data produced through observations, storytelling and persona dolls to argue that, although young children reproduce multiple social realities they encounter in their daily lives, they are active subjects in constructing differences. Story telling with persona dolls provides opportunities for young children to talk about their experiences with regards to difference.