There's no place like home - The public/private distinction in children's theorizing of risk and safety

This article explores children's theorizing around risk and safety in relat ion to the public/private distinction. While there has been considerable de bate within sociology over the different meanings and applications of the p ublic/private dichotomy, little consideration has been given to the ways in which children construct their lives around this distinction. In this arti cle it is argued that children reflexively construct their landscapes of ri sk and safety around concepts of private, local and public. While the priva te sphere of the home was described by the children in terms of safety and security, they expressed concerns about their vulnerability in public life. The children's accounts also define an intermediate sphere between private and public - the local sphere - which was identified in terms of proximity to the home and familiarity with places and people.