Between Agency and Abuse

This book tackles the theme of childhood sexuality, through the examination of its representation in media, namely art. The discussion surrounds the some­times-subtle differences between art and pornography. Child pornography definitions are discussed and put into perspective through elaboration on the history and establishment of what we term as 'childhood', looking at the concepts of childhood innocence, agency and adultism. The representation of children is analysed through the platform of art, namely photography and painting, choosing images that have provoked and upset in the recent past. The specific situations are considered and the discussion is placed within the context of children's rights, using the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography as tools to do so. This text offers a multidisciplinary perspective on the taboo of childhood sexuality, anchoring the argument in the discipline of childhood studies, through the use of analytical methods from the field of visual anthropology.



Korinna McRobert was born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1987, where she grew up with mixed heritage: Greek Cypriot and British. She studied art in England and childhood studies in Germany. Her work is multi-disciplinary, focusing on hybrid approaches to looking at sociological issues. Her motivations for both her artistic and academic work come from personal experience and individual curiosities that shape her own questions about society. Since 2009 she has made video and performance artwork that has been screened and performed internationally. Her topics are autobiographical and deal with themes surrounding corporeality, identity and trauma, to name a few.

Since completing her Masters degree in 2018 she has expanded into academia; writing and lecturing on childhood sexuality and children's rights. She plans to continue studying and exploring these issues in more depth, using both artistic and scientific methods.

She lives and learns in Berlin.



Foreword

Ingrid Stapf & Jörg Maywald



Introduction



PART I

Child Pornography

The Conceptualisation of Childhood

Adultism

Perceptions of Childhood Sexuality

Agency



PART II

Art Analysis

Photography : Sally Mann

Photography : Bill Henson

Painting : Balthus

Art as Platform



PART III

Considering Context

Child Participation in Art

Children's Rights Expanded

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (Optional Protocol)



Considerations and Conclusions

Abstract (English)

Abstract (Deutsch)

References