Beyond Parents

Reviews / Votes

"Drawing on rich ethnography from Menamaty, this book reveals two parallel pathways in childhood - hierarchical care from elders and egalitarian bonds with peers. Resonating deeply with my experiences in India, the volume challenges adult-centered assumptions and broadens developmental theory to embrace diverse, culturally grounded ecologies of growing up." (Nandita Chaudhary, Retired Professor, University of Delhi, India)

"This book is a must-read for all who are interested in children's development from a global perspective. With his exemplary ethnographic research with Menamaty pastoralists, Gabriel Scheidecker demonstrates convincingly that existing views about children's learning contexts need to be thoroughly revised. The integration of two parallel developmental scripts in children's conception of the self has massive implications for theory and practice." (Heidi Keller, Professor of Psychology Emerita, Osnabrück University, Germany)

"Seeing what parenting IS in one time and place can tempt people to draw conclusions about how parenting SHOULD BE across times and places. Beyond Parenting provides an important safeguard against this temptation. Scheidecker delves deep into the social life of a rural community in Madagascar to make a compelling case for two distinct pathways for children's social and emotional development from their first year of life. In so doing, he challenges dominant narratives about the primacy of children's attachments to primary caregivers and their role in subsequent relationships. A great read for anyone interested in the full potential of child development." (Yuko Munakata, Professor of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA and TED speaker on the science of parenting and child development)

"Scheidecker's remarkable, rigorously researched depiction of infant life-worlds in a secluded Malagasy village upends received assumptions about early child development. Reaching beyond the primacy of the mother-child dyad, Beyond Parents invites readers into the lush 'social constellations' of mothers, older children, and peers who nurture infants along their 'developmental pathway." (Elinor Ochs, Distinguished Research Professor, UCLA, USA)

"This fascinating ethnography of a pastoralist community in Madagascar, with its unique focus on very young children, will be a valuable resource for developmental scientists and anthropologists. Scheidecker evocatively documents the diverse social networks of young children, drawing thoughtfully on interviews, video records, and his own insightful observations. A valuable and well-written examination of how young children develop socially and emotionally in the communities where they live." (Ross Thompson, Distinguished Professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of California, Davis, USA)

"Beyond Parents offers a fresh and deeply insightful perspective on how young children grow, learn, and forge relationships within a pastoralist community in Madagascar. Drawing on rich ethnographic fieldwork in Menamaty, Scheidecker demonstrates that child development extends far beyond parental guidance and caregiver practices-it is profoundly shaped by the relationships children emotionally build with one another. From their earliest years, children engage in both hierarchical interactions with adults and egalitarian, dynamic exchanges with peers. Together, these experiences create diverse pathways for emotional growth, social learning, and identity formation. By expanding the developmental niche model, this book illuminates the critical importance of peer relationships in early development-an insight with profound implications for anthropologists and psychologists, as well as educators, policymakers, and practitioners in early child development. Beyond Parents serves as a compelling testament to the complexity and creativity inherent in children's worlds." (Xiaojie Tian, Associate Professor, Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan)

"Beyond Parents is an outstanding contribution to developmental science and Anthropology. Self-construal, social and emotional trust, and competence, and the contexts in Madagascar where these ways of learning and growth occur, are brilliantly brought to life by Scheidecker. He expands our understanding of socialization to include a wider range of complementary children's social partners - not only caretakers/parents but many others as well. Intervention and development programs should always begin with this kind of understanding of the communities and children they intend to support." (Tom Weisner, Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA)