Representations of languages, cultures, and identities in children’s literature portraying refugee stories

• In Event: Roundtable Session II
  In Roundtable Session: Imagination and Representation: Exploring Portrayals of Cultures in Children’s Literature

Abstract

This study explored how refugee families’ languages, cultures, and identities are represented in children’s literature. By drawing upon the theoretical perspectives on positioning theory, the analysis of the children’s picturebooks generated the themes: the positioning of languages and the representation of the characters’ cultures and identities. English was positioned as the language with linguistic power in a host country. A small group of picturebooks highlighted the characters’ heritages, cultures, and identities.

Author

• Aijuan Cun, The University of New Mexico