Philippe Ariès facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Philippe Ariès
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| Born | 21 July 1914 Blois, France
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| Died | 8 February 1984 (aged 69) Toulouse, France
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| Known for | Centuries of Childhood |
Philippe Ariès (born July 21, 1914 – died February 8, 1984) was a French historian. He studied the past, especially how families and childhood have changed over time. He also wrote a lot about how people in Western countries thought about death.
His Big Ideas
Philippe Ariès saw himself as someone who valued freedom. He didn't like strict rules or too much control. He worked with many other historians, including Michel Foucault.
His work was often more famous outside of France, especially in English-speaking countries. He is best known for his book L’Enfant et la Vie Familiale sous l’Ancien Régime (1960). This book was translated into English as Centuries of Childhood (1962).
How Childhood Changed
Centuries of Childhood was one of the first important books about the history of childhood. It is still a key book on this topic today. Ariès suggested that in the Middle Ages, the idea of "childhood" as we know it didn't really exist.
He believed that attitudes towards children slowly changed over time. As societies developed, childhood became a special time of life. Before the 17th century, children were often seen as small adults. They were expected to act like grown-ups as soon as they could take care of themselves. People thought children were fragile and might not live long.
Ariès's book was very important because it showed that childhood is a "social construction." This means that the idea of childhood is shaped by society, not just by biology. It also helped make the history of childhood a serious area of study. However, some of his ideas about medieval childhood have been debated by other historians.
The History of Death
Philippe Ariès also created another new field of study: the history of how people have thought about death and dying. He believed that, like childhood, death is also understood differently by different societies.
His last major book on this topic was L'Homme devant la mort (1977). This book explored how attitudes towards death have changed throughout history.
Selected Books
Philippe Ariès wrote many books during his life. Here are a few of them:
- 1943. Les Traditions sociales dans les pays de France (Social Traditions in the Countries of France)
- 1960. L’Enfant et la Vie Familiale sous l’Ancien Régime (The Child and Family Life Under the Old Regime), known in English as Centuries of Childhood
- 1977. L'Homme devant la mort (Man Before Death)
- 1985–1987. Histoire de la vie privée (History of Private Life), a five-volume work he co-edited with Georges Duby.
See also
In Spanish: Philippe Ariès para niños
