Zoi Simopoulou - Young Children’s Existential Encounters

Studies in the Psychosocial seeks to investigate the ways in which psychic and social processes demand to be understood as always implicated in each other, as mutually constitutive, co-produced, or abstracted levels of a single dialectical process. As such it can be understood as an interdisciplinary field in search of transdisciplinary objects of knowledge. Studies in the Psychosocial is also distinguished by its emphasis on affect, the irrational and unconscious processes, often, but not necessarily, understood psychoanalytically. Studies in the Psychosocial aims to foster the development of this field by publishing high quality and innovative monographs and edited collections. The series welcomes submissions from a range of theoretical perspectives and disciplinary orientations, including sociology, social and critical psychology, political science, postcolonial studies, feminist studies, queer studies, management and organization studies, cultural and media studies and psychoanalysis. However, in keeping with the inter- or transdisciplinary character of psychosocial analysis, books in the series will generally pass beyond their points of origin to generate concepts, understandings and forms of investigation that are distinctively psychosocial in character.

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Cover illustration: Inveralmond Community High School Art Department

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I gratefully acknowledge the University of Edinburgh College of Humanities and Social Sciences for the Research Award that enabled my work on the topic of childrens existential encounters.

I would like to thank my doctoral supervisors, Professor Liz Bondi and Professor Jonathan Wyatt, for their kind space, the attuned and consistent presence throughout my research that allowed me movement. Judith Fewell and Chris Scalzo for encompassing my work and for their generous reveries on my reveries. Janet Sherrard, who stayed a little longer when I asked her to and supervised my psychoanalytic observations, and Gillian Sloan Donachy, Andrew Dawson, Anne Hood and Lynne Conway, my tutors at the Scottish Institute of Human Relations where it all started. Dr Cecelia Clegg who kept on believing in me. Dr Pauline Mottram for teaching me that the world is also my home. My family and my friends Elizabeth Chodzaza, Eleni Soldatou and Naomi Partridge for all the care throughout this work. Karen Serra Undurraga for her warm support.

I wish to express my thanks to the people at the nursery that homed my observations; at Palgrave for their interest in this work; and at the Inveralmond Community High School Art Department who kindly gave me permission to use their artwork themed Looking In, Looking Out for the cover of this book.

May, Nadia, Edward, Baba, Eilidh, thank you for all the things you showed me.