Stories of Displacement: Analyzing War, Refugees, and Immigrants in Children’s Picture Books with English as a Glocal Language

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Discourse Analysis Across Language Education Contexts: Examining Textbooks, Policy, and Colonial Narratives

Abstract

This study explores how children’s picture books address war, displacement, and migration using English as a glocal language, blending global themes with local cultural specificity. Through critical content analysis, it examines how textual and visual storytelling shape young readers’ understanding of humanitarian crises. It highlights these books’ dual role as educational tools and empathy-builders, balancing universal resilience with culturally specific refugee experiences. It analyzes narrative strategies, visual symbolism, and ethical depictions of trauma for children. The study argues that glocalized English fosters cross-cultural awareness while challenging homogenized portrayals of displacement. It concludes with recommendations for educators, authors, and policymakers to use picture books as inclusive resources for nurturing global citizenship and social-emotional learning.

Author

• Robby Anggriawan, Illinois State University