With 1962’s Centuries of Childhood, Philippe Ariès didn’t just produce the first comprehensive history of childhood he also called attention to the consideration ordinary people. Ariès argues that the concept of childhood did not even exist until the 17th century; before that, children were regarded simply as small people.

When the ‘discovery’ of childhood came about, it was not because children had changed, but because people’s mentalities had changed. Arguing that mentalities are a more powerful force for changing society than economic, political or population factors, Ariès was the first major scholar to explore what is now the thriving discipline of childhood and family studies.