Dr. Jessaca Leinaweaver has been engaged with research involving children and families, as well as teaching in this field, for many years. Her most recent project has resulted in a groundbreaking ethnographic exploration of childhood in six towns within the Yauyos province of rural Peru. Care and Agency: The Andean Community through the Eyes of Children, published by Rutgers University Press, places the experiences and perspectives of Andean children at the forefront, revealing the complex interplay of caregiving and agency in their daily lives.

This study presented several unique challenges, not the least of which involved the consolidating, systematizing, and analyzing of all the data. “In cultural anthropology we are most commonly working alone with data that we collect over time and through many different interactive methods,” Leinaweaver explains. However, in this case, she was working with a team of student ethnographers who were trained to collect data, but who did so in their own way with their own individual areas they were acutely drawn to. 

“We saw this as a strength,” Leinaweaver says. “One researcher was fascinated by religion and spirituality so paid extra attention to ways that young people learned about the spiritual environment; another was very interested in health and healing so would spend time talking with the health care personnel. But it also meant we were dealing with a quite vast and heterogeneous data set.” Leinaweaver adds, “Our research team did a great job connecting with children. There are ways to learn about their likes and dislikes (as any parent of a toddler could tell you!), and researchers who want to get as full as possible a picture of their topic would benefit from thinking about ways to be more age-inclusive in the research population they select.”

The central argument of the book is that children in Andean communities are not merely passive recipients of care but are active, agentic participants in the social, economic, and ecological fabric of their societies. Leinaweaver and her co-author, Jeanine Anderson, Professor Emerita of Anthropology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, detail how children are deeply involved in various forms of care, including caring for younger siblings, assisting adults with household and agricultural tasks, providing translation services, tending to animals, and contributing to the well-being of their environment. This active involvement shapes their sociality, subjective states, and overall development in ways that challenge a monolithic understanding of childhood. 

Indeed, the authors emphasize that “a single Andean childhood” does not exist. Instead, childhood experiences are highly variable, influenced by age, gender, and social strata. Some children experience happy and nurturing environments, while others face harsh and demanding realities. This diversity highlights the adaptive and resilient nature of Andean children as they navigate their responsibilities and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Furthermore, the book situates these childhood experiences within the broader context of Peru's political and economic landscape. It underscores the precarious future faced by these children and their communities due to unstable governments and the persistent neglect of rural populations—an environment that demands children make difficult choices, including the decision to migrate to urban centers or to remain and strive for a better future in their rural homes.

Care and Agency makes a significant contribution to contemporary children's studies and the anthropology of childhood by deepening our understanding of how caregiving is organized in human societies, particularly through the lens of children's active participation. Leinaweaver’s and Anderson’s rich and vivid portrayal of the lives of Andean children positions this text as an essential resource for educators, health workers, policymakers, social workers, and researchers interested in the lives of children and the dynamics of rural communities.

In a region where significant social science is done but very little attention is given to children’s roles, Care and Agency provides a nuanced picture of Andean childhood, revealing children as vital actors whose contributions and experiences are integral to the survival and transformation of their communities, even in the face of significant challenges and uncertain futures.