History in the Margins: A Critical Multicultural Analysis of George Washington Picture Books

• In Event: Engaging Students in History Through Multiple Means

Abstract

This study conducts a critical multicultural analysis of seven George Washington picture book biographies to uncover how metanarratives and multimodal marginalization strategies create power relations that compromise truth-telling about American history. Given the new prominence of children’s nonfiction, it is critical that we analyze what visual or textual inclusion, exclusion, or location communicate about power dynamics. The layout of these books relegates critical information about the lives of enslaved people to the margins and the power remains with a patriotically polished image of Washington. As both children’s trade nonfiction picture books and children’s biographies of Washington are understudied, this study addresses a gap in not only content analysis but also in identifying strategies for instructional text selection.

Author

• Gretchen Hohmeyer, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
  Presenting Author