title: Re-thinking children's agency in extreme hardship: Zimbabwean children's draw-and-write about their HIV-affected peers.
abstract: We compare two analyses of the same 'draw-and-write' exercises in which 128 Zimbabwean children represented their HIV-affected peers. The first, informed by the 'New Social Studies of Childhood', easily identified examples of independent reflection and action by children. The second, informed by Sen's understandings of agency, drew attention to the negative consequences of many of the choices available to children, and the contextual limits on outcomes children themselves would value: the support of caring adults, adequate food, and opportunities to advance their health and safety. Conceptualisations of agency need to take greater account of children's own accounts of outcomes they value, rather than identifying agency in any form of independent reflection and action per se.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Psychology, The London School of Economics and Political Science, London WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom. Electronic address: c.campbell@lse.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Psychology, The London School of Economics and Political Science, London WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom. Electronic address: l.b.andersen@lse.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe. Electronic address: mutsikiwaa@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mutsikiwa
authors.affiliation: School of Applied Human Sciences, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa. Electronic address: cmadanhire@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Claudius
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Madanhire
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: m.skovdal@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skovdal
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College School of Public Health, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom. Electronic address: nyamukapaconnie@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Constance
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nyamukapa
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College School of Public Health, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Sajgregson@aol.com.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gregson
mesh_terms: D001154:Art; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping; D014956:Writing; D015030:Zimbabwe
keywords: Agency; Children; HIV/AIDS; Zimbabwe