In Search of the Voice of the Heirs of the Revolution. An Analysis of Documents Composed by Children, 1921-1940

Abstract

The aim of this article is to identify and describe some advantages and problems involved in the use of historical documents produced by children during Mexico’s post-revolutionary period. The history of children has always been subject to interpretations by adults and, generally speaking, what we know of their past comes down to us through records generated by social assistance institutions, government agencies, teachers and family members. However, in the early decades of the 20th century, programs stemming from the revolution and technological advances in the mass media opened new spaces for social and civic participation by children; a political and cultural context in which they left their mark in documental form. The goal of writing the history of childhood obliges us to integrate records produced by children in order to elucidate their role as historical agents.