In this timely and eloquent book, Diana Gittins draws on a fascinating range of sources-psychoanalytic, historical, social, literary, artistic and personal-to unpack our common assumptions about 'the child' and 'childhood' and explore the meanings and values that are commonly attributed to them. She argues that while there continue to exist substantial differences and inequalities that effect real children in material, and often harmful, ways, 'the child' also acts as an important cultural construct at both a symbolic and psychological level. It is in the blurring and overlapping of adults' multiple and diverse notions of what 'the child' is and should be that confusions and contradictions arise. These can be perceived underlying the moral panics that regularly recur about adults' abuse of children and children's acts of violence. Wide-ranging and provocative, this is a book for everyone interested in children and their place in our society. It will appeal to students and professionals alike across a wide range of courses and disciplines, as well as to the general reader.