This study deals with the social representations about children and childhood present in theses
and dissertations of the Amazon. The main objective of this research is to: apprehend the
social representations about children and childhood in theses and dissertations of graduate
programs in education in the Amazon that have developed research with children. The
theoretical field of this thesis was supported by the following tripod: social representations,
children and childhood and research with children. The first theoretical field relies on such
authors as: Moscovici (2003), Birth (2014), Jovchelovitch (2014) and Marková (2017). The
second theoretical field is mainly based on: Bujes (2000, 2002); Quinteiro (2002); Faria,
Demartini and Prado (2009); Corsaro (2011); Del Priore (2010); Ariès (2014); Qvortrup
(2014, 2015) and Sarmento (2005, 2013, 2015). The third theoretical field is based on: Soares;
Sarmento; Tomás (2005); Mullër; Redin (2007); Müller; Carvalho (2009); Oak; Müller
(2010); Lee (2010); Agostinho (2010); Son; Barbosa (2010) and Fernandes (2016). This is a
bibliographical study with a qualitative approach. It constitutes the corpus of analysis 2 theses
and 20 dissertations registered in the Bank of Thesis and Dissertations of Capes. For the data
analysis, we used the techniques of content analysis proposed by Bardin (1977), which
involved the steps of pre-analysis, material exploration and treatment of results, inference and
interpretation. In this process of analysis we identify meanings about children and childhoods,
from which we perceive objections and anchorages that make up the social representations
about children and childhoods present in the analyzed productions. The results revealed
meanings about children and childhood, listed as follows: 1) senses about childhood:
childhood as historical, social and cultural construction; childhood as a social category of the
generational type; childhood as an individual life time; 2) senses about child: child as social
actor; child as subject of law; play and imaginary as essential elements for children; 3) senses
about the children of the Amazon: the children of the Amazon are immersed in daily
activities; the natural environment is an important element in the daily life of children; the life
of children is permeated by universal and unique aspects. Based on these meanings, we have
grasped the following objections and anchorages about children and childhood: childhood has
an image of a permanent social structure, anchored in the sense of a social category of the
generational type, the individual image, anchored in the meaning of individual life time lived
by the subject and the image of diversity, anchored in the changes through which childhood
permeates both from a structural and individual perspective; children are characterized by the
image of a social actor, anchored in their agency about the world and the image of plural
subjects, which denotes that children live in a specific childhood, coexist in a multiplicity of
social contexts and seize the most diverse social elements arising from their life contexts and
other contexts with which they establish relationships. Faced with these images about children
and childhood, the thesis is that the authors of the analyzed productions, when developing
research with children, have social representations about children and childhoods sustained in
the social valorization of them. They recognize the protagonism of children and the notoriety
of childhood in the social world.
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