INTERACTIONISM AND THE CHILD - CAHILL, CORSARO, AND DENZIN ON CHILDHOOD SOCIALIZATION

Socialization is one of the defining concepts of symbolic interactioni sm. This essay redirects attention to that area by reviewing the works of Spencer E. Cahill, William A. Corsaro, and Norman K. Denzin, three scholars who have had little attention paid to their work on childhoo d socialization. Under the rubrics of (a) stages: automatic or conting ent?, (b) play and games, (c) peer groups and cultures, (d) gender ide ntity, and (e) public behavior, it is argued that these scholars have advanced symbolic interaction theory on childhood socialization by fea turing the constructive, communal, and collective aspects of socializa tion. A summary of similarities and differences among these authors is made, especially noting Corsaro's conceptualization of ''interpretive reproduction.'' A critique focuses on some inadequacies in their work along with suggestions for future research.