Article
“Poor brain development” in the global South? Challenging the science of early childhood interventions
Ethos
(2023)
Abstract
Global Early Childhood Development (ECD)—an applied
field with the aim to improve the “brain structure and function”
of future generations in the global South—has moved
to the center of international development. Global ECD
rests heavily on evidence claims about widespread cognitive,
social, and emotional deficits in the global South and
the benefits of changing parenting practices in order to optimize
early childhood development.We challenge these claims
on the grounds that the leading ECD literature excludes
research from anthropology, cultural psychology, and related
fields that could provide crucial insights about childrearing
and children’s development in the targeted communities. We
encourage anthropologists and other scholars with ethnographic
expertise on childhood to critically engage with
global ECD. To facilitate such an endeavor, this article
sketches the history, scientific claims, and interventions of
global ECD, points out the critical potential of ethnographic
research, and suggests strategies to make ethnography more
relevant.
Keywords
- early childhood development,
- parenting interventions,
- international development,
- applied research
Disciplines
Publication Date
Winter January 31, 2023
DOI
org/10.1111/etho.12379
Citation Information
Gabriel Scheidecker, Nandita Chaudhary, Heidi Keller, Francesca Mezzenzana, et al.. "“Poor brain development” in the global South? Challenging the science of early childhood interventions" Ethos Vol. 51 Iss. 1 (2023) p. 3 - 26 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/david_lancy/151/