Although different scholars have underscored the inadequacy of the concept of ‘child soldier’ for various reasons, its inherently discriminatory implications against girl soldiers have not attracted the required scholarly attention. Thus, in this article, I examine two African child soldier narratives with a view to analysing their representations of the idea of the child soldier. The texts I analyse are Uzodinma Iweala's Beasts of No Nation (2005) and Ahmadou Kourouma's Allah Is Not Obliged (2007).
{"title":"Child Soldier Narratives and the Underrepresentation of Females in Fighting Forces","authors":"A. Adesola","doi":"10.3366/ircl.2024.0561","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2024.0561","url":null,"abstract":"Although different scholars have underscored the inadequacy of the concept of ‘child soldier’ for various reasons, its inherently discriminatory implications against girl soldiers have not attracted the required scholarly attention. Thus, in this article, I examine two African child soldier narratives with a view to analysing their representations of the idea of the child soldier. The texts I analyse are Uzodinma Iweala's Beasts of No Nation (2005) and Ahmadou Kourouma's Allah Is Not Obliged (2007).","PeriodicalId":163936,"journal":{"name":"International Research in Children's Literature","volume":"29 45","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141233060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trauma signifies the collapse of personal, social, and cultural meaning systems that causes a rupture to the bond that unifies the individual and the society. While narration of such devastation has been deemed impossible, and its presence in children's and young adult (YA) literature has been debated at great length, writers have attempted, nevertheless, to narrate the ‘unspeakable’ and ‘unrepresentable’ through memoirs and fiction for adults as well as children. Through the study of a select list of titles for children and young adults on the contemporary suffering and displaced populations of Syria and Palestine, this article aims to study the narration of trauma for young readers. It evinces the narrative strategies employed by authors to strike a balance between the two extremes of suffering and optimism. In doing so, it establishes that YA fiction authors construct a niche narrative that offers the realism of trauma through a safe distance.
创伤意味着个人、社会和文化意义系统的崩溃，导致个人与社会之间的纽带断裂。尽管对这种灾难的叙述被认为是不可能的，而且在儿童文学和青少年文学（YA）中对其存在也有过长时间的争论，但作家们还是试图通过成人和儿童的回忆录和小说来叙述 "无法言说 "和 "无法表现 "的创伤。本文通过研究为儿童和青少年精选的关于叙利亚和巴勒斯坦当代苦难和流离失所人口的书目，旨在研究面向青少年读者的创伤叙事。文章论证了作者为在苦难和乐观这两个极端之间取得平衡而采用的叙事策略。在此过程中，文章确定了 YA 小说作者构建了一种小众叙事，通过安全距离提供创伤的现实性。
{"title":"The ‘Gentle Recitation’: Writing Trauma in Contemporary Children's and Young Adult Literature","authors":"Arya Priyadarshini, Suman Sigroha","doi":"10.3366/ircl.2024.0558","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2024.0558","url":null,"abstract":"Trauma signifies the collapse of personal, social, and cultural meaning systems that causes a rupture to the bond that unifies the individual and the society. While narration of such devastation has been deemed impossible, and its presence in children's and young adult (YA) literature has been debated at great length, writers have attempted, nevertheless, to narrate the ‘unspeakable’ and ‘unrepresentable’ through memoirs and fiction for adults as well as children. Through the study of a select list of titles for children and young adults on the contemporary suffering and displaced populations of Syria and Palestine, this article aims to study the narration of trauma for young readers. It evinces the narrative strategies employed by authors to strike a balance between the two extremes of suffering and optimism. In doing so, it establishes that YA fiction authors construct a niche narrative that offers the realism of trauma through a safe distance.","PeriodicalId":163936,"journal":{"name":"International Research in Children's Literature","volume":"35 47","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141233179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This research analyses the construction of childhood in three children’s books related to the Cyprus Problem through the lens of Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The discourse on childhood, deployed in books whose narratives are related to an armed conflict, is seen to have four nodal points: innocence, citizenship, savagery, and otherness. Our discourse-theoretical analysis, which uses a retroductive approach (Glynos and Howarth), demonstrates that in these three children’s books, the nodal points of innocence and citizenship are particularly strong, but all four nodal points are present. The analysis also shows how these nodal points intersect with the discourses of victimhood and militarism, which alter the articulation of the childhood discourse itself and produce significant internal tensions. These alterations and tensions demonstrate the deeply political nature of the childhood discourse at times of war.
{"title":"The Discursive Construction of Childhood in Three Turkish Children’s Books about the Cyprus Problem","authors":"Mazlum Kemal Dağdelen, Nico Carpentier","doi":"10.3366/ircl.2024.0560","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2024.0560","url":null,"abstract":"This research analyses the construction of childhood in three children’s books related to the Cyprus Problem through the lens of Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. The discourse on childhood, deployed in books whose narratives are related to an armed conflict, is seen to have four nodal points: innocence, citizenship, savagery, and otherness. Our discourse-theoretical analysis, which uses a retroductive approach (Glynos and Howarth), demonstrates that in these three children’s books, the nodal points of innocence and citizenship are particularly strong, but all four nodal points are present. The analysis also shows how these nodal points intersect with the discourses of victimhood and militarism, which alter the articulation of the childhood discourse itself and produce significant internal tensions. These alterations and tensions demonstrate the deeply political nature of the childhood discourse at times of war.","PeriodicalId":163936,"journal":{"name":"International Research in Children's Literature","volume":"17 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141233541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article focuses on Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl, specifically on its introduction and reception in China. Since its first complete Chinese version, produced by Gao Niansheng, was published in 1989, The Diary has received continuous attention from Chinese translators, literary critics, and publishers. The article first delves into the translations and adaptations of The Diary in China, with a particular emphasis on the Chinese translations released within this timeframe. It then analyses themes in Chinese scholarship on Anne Frank, followed by an explication of why The Diary has been well-received in China. It also explores how, as a world literature classic, The Diary has inspired Chinese writers and critics dedicated to developing children’s literature. The article highlights that The Diary, written by a Jewish girl before and during the Holocaust, continues to inspire readers and scholars of all ages and offers valuable insights for Chinese audiences into the contemporary understanding of war, conflict, peace, and love.
{"title":"Anne Frank in China: Translation, Adaptation, and Reception","authors":"Shengzhen Zhang","doi":"10.3366/ircl.2024.0565","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2024.0565","url":null,"abstract":"This article focuses on Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl, specifically on its introduction and reception in China. Since its first complete Chinese version, produced by Gao Niansheng, was published in 1989, The Diary has received continuous attention from Chinese translators, literary critics, and publishers. The article first delves into the translations and adaptations of The Diary in China, with a particular emphasis on the Chinese translations released within this timeframe. It then analyses themes in Chinese scholarship on Anne Frank, followed by an explication of why The Diary has been well-received in China. It also explores how, as a world literature classic, The Diary has inspired Chinese writers and critics dedicated to developing children’s literature. The article highlights that The Diary, written by a Jewish girl before and during the Holocaust, continues to inspire readers and scholars of all ages and offers valuable insights for Chinese audiences into the contemporary understanding of war, conflict, peace, and love.","PeriodicalId":163936,"journal":{"name":"International Research in Children's Literature","volume":"16 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141234175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ignacio Ceballos Viro, Araceli Hernández, Eva Llergo, Sonia Crespo
This article examines the bodies of antagonists in Spanish award-winning children’s and young adult novels between 2018 and 2020. Qualitative analysis using software was used to categorise antagonists’ physical descriptions and identify common types and characteristics. There are attractive antagonists with pleasant physical appearances that conceal an inner malevolence, while others adhere more closely to the traditional prototype with physically unattractive features beyond normative standards of beauty. The predominance of male bodies as antagonists is highlighted, reflecting cultural stereotypes of violence and aggression associated with masculinity. In addition, common features such as reddish hair, facial hair, a penetrating gaze, and a smile that anticipates malice are observed. Although expected features such as androidisation are not evident, the analysis shows how cultural processes of physical normalisation are either reinforced or challenged.
{"title":"The Body of the Antagonist in Current Spanish Novels for Children and Young Adults","authors":"Ignacio Ceballos Viro, Araceli Hernández, Eva Llergo, Sonia Crespo","doi":"10.3366/ircl.2024.0564","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2024.0564","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines the bodies of antagonists in Spanish award-winning children’s and young adult novels between 2018 and 2020. Qualitative analysis using software was used to categorise antagonists’ physical descriptions and identify common types and characteristics. There are attractive antagonists with pleasant physical appearances that conceal an inner malevolence, while others adhere more closely to the traditional prototype with physically unattractive features beyond normative standards of beauty. The predominance of male bodies as antagonists is highlighted, reflecting cultural stereotypes of violence and aggression associated with masculinity. In addition, common features such as reddish hair, facial hair, a penetrating gaze, and a smile that anticipates malice are observed. Although expected features such as androidisation are not evident, the analysis shows how cultural processes of physical normalisation are either reinforced or challenged.","PeriodicalId":163936,"journal":{"name":"International Research in Children's Literature","volume":"56 13","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141276982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Consumable Reading and Children's Literature: Food, Taste and Material Interactions by Ilgım Veryeri Alaca","authors":"Shan Zhong","doi":"10.3366/ircl.2024.0572","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2024.0572","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":163936,"journal":{"name":"International Research in Children's Literature","volume":"60 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141231991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"They Also Write for Kids: Cross-Writing, Activism, and Children's Literature by Suzanne Manizza Roszak","authors":"Johari Murray","doi":"10.3366/ircl.2024.0570","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2024.0570","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":163936,"journal":{"name":"International Research in Children's Literature","volume":"65 24","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141231489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
I. Sachmadi, Aquarini Priyatna, Lina Meilinawati Rahayu
Keluarga Cemara [Cemara's family], a series by Arswendo Atmowiloto, displays how the wealthy characters stigmatise the characters living in poverty. The series centres on a petite-bourgeois family shifting from riches to rags, but it entails no downgrading shift from their class to the working class. The depiction of the family members and their interaction with other people shows that, despite the shift of economic capital, the family maintains their habitus as the petit bourgeoisie. The series presents a further problem in the way that this poverty-stricken family responds to the stigmatisation by accepting their dispossession of economic capital but objecting that of cultural capital, showing an exercise of agency in negotiating their position in the petit-bourgeois class. The wealthy disapprove of their cultural capital and marginalise them, revealing the desire of the wealthy to be distinct from them. We argue that in presenting the marginalisation practised by the wealthy and the agency by the low-wealth family, the series portrays the field of struggle where both try to maintain their position in social space. As such, the series clears an open textual space that allows the young adult readership to question the social structural imaginary that they inhabit.
{"title":"Stigmatisation, Marginalisation, and Agency in Keluarga Cemara, an Indonesian Young Adult Series","authors":"I. Sachmadi, Aquarini Priyatna, Lina Meilinawati Rahayu","doi":"10.3366/ircl.2024.0563","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2024.0563","url":null,"abstract":"Keluarga Cemara [Cemara's family], a series by Arswendo Atmowiloto, displays how the wealthy characters stigmatise the characters living in poverty. The series centres on a petite-bourgeois family shifting from riches to rags, but it entails no downgrading shift from their class to the working class. The depiction of the family members and their interaction with other people shows that, despite the shift of economic capital, the family maintains their habitus as the petit bourgeoisie. The series presents a further problem in the way that this poverty-stricken family responds to the stigmatisation by accepting their dispossession of economic capital but objecting that of cultural capital, showing an exercise of agency in negotiating their position in the petit-bourgeois class. The wealthy disapprove of their cultural capital and marginalise them, revealing the desire of the wealthy to be distinct from them. We argue that in presenting the marginalisation practised by the wealthy and the agency by the low-wealth family, the series portrays the field of struggle where both try to maintain their position in social space. As such, the series clears an open textual space that allows the young adult readership to question the social structural imaginary that they inhabit.","PeriodicalId":163936,"journal":{"name":"International Research in Children's Literature","volume":"23 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141234979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Representations of Children and Success in Asia: Dream Chaser edited by Shih-Wen Sue Chen and Sin Wen Lau","authors":"C. Malilang","doi":"10.3366/ircl.2024.0569","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2024.0569","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":163936,"journal":{"name":"International Research in Children's Literature","volume":"38 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141234876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Carroll, Baum, Barrie. (Mito)biografie i (mikro)historie [Caroll, Baum, Barrie. (Mytho)biographies and (micro)stories] by Maciej Skowera","authors":"Gabriela Niemczynowicz-Szkopek","doi":"10.3366/ircl.2024.0573","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2024.0573","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":163936,"journal":{"name":"International Research in Children's Literature","volume":"38 13","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141231328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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