The book contains inspiring work on multiple innovative solutions focused on improving well-being of children and youth in the children­focused perspective with reflection in academic theory, research and publications, and social policy documents and tools. lt presents papers prepared by authors representing international academic institutions (i.e. Department of Applied Sociology and Social Work, University of Łódź), public policy entities (i.e. the European Commission, the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Poland) and non-governmental organizations (i.e. Eurochild, European Social Network). The book presents the discussion of such problems like: children’s rights, child poverty and social exclusion, early years care and education, children in alternative care, children’s health and family, parental and children support.

Pole zainteresowań naukowych pisma stanowią teoretyczne i historyczne zagadnienia sztuk plastycznych, multimediów, filmu, dramatu i muzyki. Kolejne tomy mają charakter zbiorowych prac monograficznych. Podejmowane są w nich zagadnienia istotne z punktu widzenia współczesnej sztuki w powiązaniu aktualnymi zagadnieniami rozważanymi na gruncie nauk humanistycznych (np. globalizacją, posthumanizmem, cyberkulturą, zagadnieniami nowej wspólnoty itp.). Pismo jest rocznikiem. Publikuje teksty autorów polskich z większości ośrodków naukowych. Dążymy do uwzględniania prac młodych badaczy. Zamieszczanych jest też wiele artykułów autorów zagranicznych, np. z Anglii, Niemiec, Stanów Zjednoczonych, Słowenii, Ukrainy.

This issue of Sociological Review commemorates the 25th anniversary of the adoption by the UN General Assembly of The Convention on the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1989. It should be recalled that the beginnings of children’s studies and the sociology of childhood coincided in time with the introduction of this treaty, which established international standards for children’s protection and development. The Convention aims at safeguarding the youngest society members from different forms of abuse, exploitation and violence, as well as at promoting their rights to a decent standard of living and to broad social participation. The authors of the articles presented herein, representing the current sociological attitude towards children and youth, follow these assumptions. The articles thus mirror some important attributes of contemporary children’s studies – its cognitive multidimensionality, differentiated quantitative and qualitative methodologies, the shift from “research on children” to “research with children”, scholars’ interest in the results of comparative studies (especially the results of natural sciences), and the concern about the practical implementation of research outcomes. The main topics tackled in this collection of texts are children’s poverty and social inequalities rooted in the first phase of their life cycle, suffering and various risks experienced by children and teenagers, framed in both the national and international contexts, as well as children’s quality of life, youngsters’ well-being, youth participation, civic engagement and the new concept of investing in children. Children, considered as equal social actors and citizens – although still most vulnerable to abuse, discrimination and social exclusion – are presented in the framework of their complicated networks of relationships with peers, adults, collectivities and societies, the welfare state, social policy institutions and other organizations, with the notion to important factors decisive for their present life and their future.

Margins and Marginalization The concepts spelled out in the title Margins and Marginalization usually carry negative connotations. They are associated with having to live outside the main current of events, or with the peripheral and thus inessential aspects of an artwork. Such an understanding assumes a sharp division into major, central, important elements, and minor or marginal ones. However, the validity of such division has been questioned by some contemporary theoreticians and artists. Its arbitrariness and relativist character had been also pointed out in the past. The aim of the 2014 volume is to investigate the occurrence of the titular concepts in the theory and practice of both old and contemporary art. We wish to examine different conceptualizations of margins and marginalization and we are open to a broad range of approaches to his topic.