History of childhood and children in Peru, c. 1940 - c. 1970

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ulrich Mücke
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: from 2018 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 397637956

The project analyses ideas of childhood and the lives of children in Peru between c. 1940 and c. 1970. In these years Peru reached an all-time peak of demographic expansion. The project aims to show that during the years between c. 1940 and c. 1970 the Peruvian state and important sectors of Peruvian society started to feel responsible for children’s welfare. For the first time in Peruvian history, public policies aimed to improve the life of millions of Peruvian children. Nevertheless, a great number of them continued to suffer from malnutrition, bad housing and insufficient school education. For ideas of childhood, the project focusses on legislation concerning children and on literature for children written and published in Peru. For describing the lives of children, the project analyses the expansion of school education and documents about children's state of health between c. 1940 and c. 1970.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants