‘CHILDHOOD RESTITUTION’ AS A WAY OF SOCIAL INCLUSION, IN A DAY CENTER FOR “STREET CHILDREN” IN BUENOS AIRES

Abstract

What happens when social programs “for children” are directed to a population whose experiences do not match those attributed to the hegemonic notion of childhood? This article examines, through an analysis of interviews and participant observation, the senses put in action by the social actors that interact in a social program for “street children”. It exposes how the concept of childhood is no longer descriptive of the target population and becomes a moral concept and therefore, a pre-condition (not explicit) for being admitted to and attended by the program.