Manfred Liebel is Professor of Sociology at the Technical University of Berlin. His main area is international and intercultural research on childhood and youth. He is staff-member of the TU-Centre for Global Education and International Cooperation and consultant of working children and youth movements in Latin America and Africa.

'A controversial and thought-provoking book which prioritizes working children's own views on their work situation.' Madeleine Leonard, Queen's University 'This exciting book marks a new departure for ways of thinking about children's work in contemporary societies.' Virginia Morrow, Brunel University 'Manfred Liebel's work exemplifies a rare and successful blend of passionate advocacy and creative thinking. A champion of the international working children's movement, he reaches a depth of analysis that is both interesting for academics and inspiring for activists, policy makers and the wider public. I am thrilled that the work of one of the major champions of NATS is now also available in English.' O. Nieuwenhuys, University of Amsterdam 'Manfred Liebel's new book gives the reader an excellent overview of the plight of children who are working in several continents and it places this important issue in both its theoretical and political contexts.' Jens Qvortrup, Norwegian University for Science and Technology

• Introduction1. Working children's movements in Africa, Latin America, and Asia2. Children's work from the perspective of social research: an international stock-taking3. The working child has a will of its own: subject oriented and participative research on children's work in Latin America4. Childhood and worn in non-Western cultures: the fruits of ethnological and anthropological research5. Working children in Europe - loss or new perspectives of childhood?6. Working children and adolescents in the USA - juggling school and work7. Work and play in the lives of children: reflections on an unfortunate separation and possible connections8. The economic exploitation of children: towards a subject-oriented praxis9. How working children resist exploitation and strive to share decisions about their work: experiences and examples from various continents and periods10. Ways to self-determined children's work? The significance and problems of educationally conceived work projects11. Thoughts on a subject-orinted theory of working children