It is time for other stories: troubling the science fact of developmental babyhood
Book chapter
Osgood, J. 2027. It is time for other stories: troubling the science fact of developmental babyhood. in: Sakr, M. and Osgood, J. (ed.) Postdevelopmental Approaches to Babyhood London, UK Bloomsbury Publishing.
| Chapter title | It is time for other stories: troubling the science fact of developmental babyhood |
|---|---|
| Authors | Osgood, J. |
| Abstract | This chapter critically interrogates developmentalism and its pervasive influence on how babyhood is socially constructed, experienced, and governed. Drawing on Donna Haraway’s concept of ‘Science Fact’ as storytelling, it traces the historical and cultural origins of developmental norms, focusing on instruments like The Red Book as key technologies of regulation that reinforce ableism, whiteness, and neoliberal ideals of progress. Through autobiographical narratives, feminist posthumanist theory, and arts-based interventions, the chapter explores the affective and political power of stories that frame babyhood as linear, measurable, and normative. It examines how clinical developmental psychology, visual culture, and surveillance practices have shaped dominant narratives, and contrasts them with creative projects—such as Towards Toddlerhood and Aesthetic Behavior—that seek to unsettle developmentalist logic. The chapter argues for the necessity of crafting alternative, multispecies, and relational stories that resist human exceptionalism and open space for more just and liveable stories of early childhood. |
| Keywords | Babyhood; posthumanism; feminist theory |
| Sustainable Development Goals | 10 Reduced inequalities |
| 5 Gender equality | |
| Middlesex University Theme | Health & Wellbeing |
| Research Group | Centre for Education Research and Scholarship (CERS) |
| Book title | Postdevelopmental Approaches to Babyhood |
| Editors | Sakr, M. and Osgood, J. |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
| Place of publication | London, UK |
| Series | Postdevelopmental Approaches to Childhood |
| ISBN | |
| Hardcover | 9781350518889 |
| Electronic | 9781350518896 |
| Electronic | 9781350518902 |
| Publication dates | |
| 09 Jan 2027 | |
| Publication process dates | |
| Accepted | 05 Sep 2025 |
| Deposited | 15 Sep 2025 |
| Output status | In press |
| Accepted author manuscript | File Access Level Open |
| Related Output | |
| Is part of | https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/postdevelopmental-approaches-to-babyhood-9781350518889/ |
| Language | English |
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