A Critical Content Analysis of Immigration in Latinx Children's Books

• In Event: Critical Analyses of Children's and Young Adult Literature: Uncovering Discourses of Power and Representation About Latinx Communities

Abstract

Objectives
This qualitative study explores the content of Latinx immigration picture books and the representation of immigration in these texts. The 2016 U.S. presidential election put U.S. immigration policy at the center of discussion in communities, including educational settings such classrooms and teacher workrooms. The discussion around these policies and the anti-immigration stance taken at the national level permeates classrooms as these beliefs and policies directly impact the lives of children. Our goal is to consider how characters, particularly children, within literature are positioned and what narratives of immigration are being portrayed. We aim to understand how the representation of immigrants in children’s literature align with current realities of Latinx living in the U.S.

Theoretical framework
The paper builds on and extends the framework of critical multicultural perspectives (Botelho & Rudman, 2009) to deconstruct the problematic representations of Latinx in literature. We also draw on tenets of Critical Race Theory (Solorzano & Yosso, 2002) to identify those explicit and implicit assumptions and ideologies in books.

Methods and data
We infused methods from Bradford’s (2007) critical content analysis and Botehlo and Rudman’s (2009) and critical multicultural analysis to investigate the themes and contents of Latinx children’s literature. We paid particular attention to assumptions and ideologies in the texts. Additionally, we focused on the emotions that were being displayed by the characters in the books. The books that were selected for this study were published between 2010 and 2017. The investigators examined award winning lists, such as Pura Belpre Award and Tomas Rivera, that details the work of Latino/a writers and illustrators. Other online searches conducted with the keywords “immigration” and “Latino”. The results yielded 23 pictures books. However, in an effort to examine how current immigration narratives and realities are examined in Latinx children’s literature, we chose text published after 2010. This yielded a total of 11 picture books for our final corpus of data.

Results and substantiated conclusions
In this study, we identified the following features within the books analyzed: (1) Border crossing is alluded to but not discussed in detail, (2) rich with emotion-related themes, (3) difficulties of family separation, and (4) love for home country. Our examination of Latinx children’s literature reveals that many of the books currently being published still include portrayals of first-generation immigration stories without fully representing the current problems associated with immigration.

Scientific and scholarly significance
This study contributes to the field that examines diverse children’s literature and the inclusion of social justice topics. We argue that scholars examining the diversity of children’s literature should recognize that culture is not static and that no ethnic group is monolithic in nature. The findings of this study suggest that researchers should continue to problematize how certain groups are characterized in books. Although the representation of Latinx children and families dealing with immigration is not totally elusive in nature, we do see a need to examine the current and emerging realities of Latinx living in the U.S.

Authors

• Eliza G. Braden, University of South Carolina - Columbia

• Sanjuana Carrillo Rodriguez, Kennesaw State University

• Natasha A Thornton, Kennesaw State University