Creativity in childhood: exploring how children’s experiences of creativity can be understood intersectionally and spatially

ABSTRACT

This paper marks the study of childhood creativity as a geographical concern and examines children’s experiences of creativity in school spaces, paying particular attention to how such experiences are understood intersectionally and spatially. It draws on findings from an ethnographic research project that was conducted in one Scottish primary school classroom. It argues that the performance of children’s intersectional identities during peer-group interactions influences the way power operates in and through school spaces, creating cultures of inclusion or exclusion. It reaches the conclusion that childhood creativity is directly linked to, and affected by, the way children’s intersectional identities are performed within social spaces, and suggests that it is important for creativity research to take into account the operations of power among children. Implications for further research include the need for more dialogue on children’s experiences of creativity in various places and spaces in both the global North and South.

KEYWORDS:

• Creativity
• children
• intersectionality
• identities
• space
• social context

Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge Professor John M. Davis and Dr. Kristina Konstantoni for their support and constructive feedback during the author’s PhD studies at the University of Edinburgh. The author is also grateful to Dr. Caralyn Blaisdell for her useful comments and feedback on an earlier version of this article and to the anonymous reviewers for their critical and insightful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).