Questioning relations in/and children’s geographies

This article questions the status of relations in children’s geographies and interdisciplinary childhood studies. Relations, relationality and relationships are fundamental, seemingly indispensable aspects of (the study of) childhood. However, the very status of relations – and the possibility that some aspects of children’s spatial lives may take place beyond relations – has rarely, if ever, been critically explored. Hence, this article raises a series of provocations, challenges and stimuli for further research that, together, consider what might be the implications for children’s geographies of looking and thinking beyond relations. It explores a series of vignettes from the author’s research, with examples including a lost doll, the breakdown of friendships, and items found on digital selling platforms. Together, these examples constitute phenomena that matter to children and young people (whether apparently frivolous or deeply traumatic and negative), but that may not be entirely explainable through the lens of relations and relational thinking. In closing, the article engages with a range of theoretical resources, which might offer prompts for further work in children’s geographies and childhood studies.