Centralizing childhood, remaking the discourse

This chapter begins with an overview of the significance of these central tenets and key policy trends before examining - using a mix of theoretical analysis and practical examples - a number of important questions that together set the scene for the next stages of childhood research, namely: what do we think now about children's agency, and do governance mechanisms/legal frameworks facilitate or hinder this?; can the expanding discourse surrounding the decolonization of knowledge be used as a way of improving the likelihood of incorporating child-focussed narratives?; and how can the work that is being done on children and their childhoods shed light on other key issues in IR, including the treatment of marginalised communities and issues of intersectionality. The chapter ends with a call to recognise the centrality of children to some of the most pressing issues facing International Relations scholars, including climate change, development, displacement and post-conflict reconciliation.