The limits of children’s voices: From authenticity to critical, reflexive representation

Abstract

This article provides a critique of the preoccupation with children’s voices in child-centred research by exploring their limits and problematizing their use in research. The article argues that critical, reflexive researchers need to reflect on the processes which produce children’s voices in research, the power imbalances that shape them and the ideological contexts which inform their production and reception, or in other words issues of representation. At the same time, critical, reflective researchers need to move beyond claims of authenticity and account for the complexity behind children’s voices by exploring their messy, multi-layered and non-normative character.