The Early Childhood As an Ethnopedagogical Phenomenon

The basic ethnopedagogical determinants of the early childhood in the context of the "evanescence" of childhood in the contemporary era are elaborated in this article. The cultural and pedagogical-anthropological importance of... [ view full abstract ]

The basic ethnopedagogical determinants of the early childhood in the context of the "evanescence" of childhood in the contemporary era are elaborated in this article. The cultural and pedagogical-anthropological importance of this basic period of human development is emphasized through the ethno-pedagogical approach. Thereby, one of the fundamental ethnopedagogical endeavors to achieving of the harmony among a child (individual), social circumstances and natural environment is specially accentuated. In this regard, the early childhood is viewed as the kind of a child's "cultural space". From the ethnopedagogical point of view this specific child's sub-culture is an autochthonous sphere of life that traditionally exists and it can be understood from its very essence, unlike the "world of childhood" that, as an artificial construct, is created and changed by the will of adult. Fully valuable children's active and spiritual relationship with adults and their environment is possible in the situations in which the "colonisation" of the world of childhood by adults is avoided. The harmonisation of relations in the early childhood implies the development and preservation of the children's natural (self)activity without being totally controlled by adults, and with setting external restrictions and creating opportunities and situations for this harmonisation. This is especially related to the development of interpersonal relations, defining a child's social status and also playing. The ethnopedagogical intellection of the early childhood allows preserving the idea on authentic cultural elements of the upbringing that arise from "human nature".

Key words: early childhood, ethnopedagogy, pedagogical anthropology, child's subculture, human nature