Hidden Heads of Households

By Mary Lorena Kenny

"Kenny treats the often taboo topic of child labor with clear-eyed perception and a bracing lack of sentimentality." - Barbara J. Price, Columbia University

An outstanding ethnographic analysis of labor across the generations in a globalizing urban population: Kenny treats the often taboo topic of child labor with clear-eyed perception and a bracing lack of sentimentality. -- Barbara J. Price, Columbia University This is a book that, without becoming cumbersome, offers a nuanced view of children's work in a Brazilian shantytown. Starting from children's own perspectives, Kenny skilfully teases out the complexity of young people's lives as they develop in a context of structural violence. In-depth ethnography, the use of extensive quotes, and pictures taken by the children themselves make this book an excellent introduction to the subject matter. -- Olga Nieuwenhuys, University of Amsterdam This is an excellent book for undergraduate anthropology classes, and should encourage students to empathize with plights of the underprivileged. Instructors will find the book useful in encouraging discussion of human rights, poverty, applied anthropology, and development, as well as child labor. [...] I highly recommend this focused, readable, moving study. -- Margaret Dorazio-Migliore, General Anthropology

List of IllustrationsAcknowledgements1. Introduction2. Researching Child Labor3. Situating Poor Childhoods4. Olinda5. Work and School in Urban Brazil6. Street Children in Northeast Brazil7. ConclusionAppendix A: Sample SurveyAppendix B: Organizations that Address the Issue of Child LaborReferencesIndex