Worlds Away & Belly Aches: A Critical Content Analysis of Enclosure in Picturebooks

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Childhoods, Materials, and Critical Learning Encounters

Abstract

Practices of enclosure such as incarceration, detainment, and relocation impact millions of children in the United States and globally. Using critical content analysis methodology, this study examines six picturebooks about enclosure through the theoretical lenses of abolition and abolition feminism. Findings reveal themes of separation, humanization, and action and agency. These findings provide multiple entry points for meaningful engagement with the topic of enclosure for both adults and children. Utilizing the lens of abolition amplifies the potential of these narratives to foster critical thinking and liberatory consciousness among readers across educational settings

Author

• Seneca Beth Miller, University of Arizona