A LatCrit Analysis of U.S. Deportation, Portrayed in Children's Picture Books About Latinx Families

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Fourteen
  In Roundtable Session: The Power of Storytelling: Exploring Representations and (Re)Narrating Experiences Across Racialized and Marginalized Communities (Table 2)

Abstract

From a LatCrit perspective, we conducted a critical race content analysis of eight picturebooks in English or in English/Spanish to examine how deportation among Latinx families was portrayed. The findings revealed that the books portrayed deportation and its process at varying levels of explicitness, complexity, and negativity. The inclusion of deportation in storylines was limited and implicit. Deportation typically included a parent being taken away and forced to leave their family, with some discussion of legal documents and detention facilities. Due to deportation of family members, children faced socioemotional challenges, including depression and changes in routines, environment, and peer networks. Several books covered stereotypes, dominant stories, counternarratives, and social justice components. Implications in education are discussed.

Keywords: LatCrit, Deportation, Early Childhood

Authors

• Mariana Gomez, University of California - Irvine
  Presenting Author

• Silvia Perez, California State University - Los Angeles
  Presenting Author

• Claudia Kouyoumdjian, California State University - Los Angeles
  Non-Presenting Author

• Su-Jeong Wee, California State University - Los Angeles
  Non-Presenting Author

• Yafen Lo, California State University - Los Angeles
  Non-Presenting Author