Crèche and cry, here and there: exploring children’s agency in Romanian and Danish nurseries

ABSTRACT

Drawing on ethnographic data from two Romanian and two Danish nurseries, we explore the agency of children aged 9 months to 2.5 years. Considering action, time, and place, the article reflects on crying as one of the children’s agentic practices. We identified five predominant types of crying and analysed peers’ and caregivers’ perceptions and reactions. The ethnographic approach uncovers the generational order and social logic of nurseries, making it possible to compare the ways in which children use crying in their communication with caregivers and peers in Romania and Denmark.

KEYWORDS:

• Agency
• crying
• ECEC
• duoethnography
• nursery

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the reviewers and editors for their insightful comments and all the children and caregivers from the nurseries.

Disclosure statement

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