A Critical view on 'the socialisation concept'

The interdisciplinary concept of socialisation has taken on a multitude of meanings, which often is taken for granted. From the position of the �new� social studies of childhood, heavy critiques have been a core issue, and to some extent the applicability of the concept has been rejected. In this paper I will address this issue, taking account of the critique and add some more. This paper is based on an ethnographic study in two Norwegian day-care centres, which made an effort to understand and describe the socialisation process as a dimension of adaptation and resistance, and through concrete examples the paper will illuminate this approach. In accordance to my intention to reveal children�s agency; resistance is foregrounded.