Migration in Picturebooks: Representations, Boundaries, and Narrative Possibilities
Özet
The existence of approximately 50 million children affected by forced displacement worldwide has made migration a central and political theme in children’s literature. This book chapter critically examines how migration is represented in picture books from pedagogical, aesthetic, and ideological perspectives. The study demonstrates that contemporary children’s literature has moved away from historical clichés such as the “white savior” and the “helpless refugee,” instead reimagining the migrant child as an active social actor within the framework of Homi Bhabha’s concepts of “hybridity” and the “third space.” Nevertheless, it has been observed that in many works, migrant identity is still depicted as an “exotic other” defined by categorical rather than personal characteristics, and that this diversity remains superficial due to the influence of Western-centric power dynamics. The chapter presents a comparative analysis based on selected corpora from various national literatures, including those of the Middle East, Scandinavia, Latin America, and Turkey. The study also examines the roles of visual strategies -such as color, line, and space- and metaphors like the suitcase, bird, and water in the semiotic construction of meaning. This visual and symbolic narrative power, which transcends the boundaries of written language, enables picture books to function not only as objects of political and aesthetic resistance for children but also for readers of all ages. Consequently, these works hold significant potential for education in democratic citizenship and social justice; however, the full realization of this potential depends on qualified adult mediation that fosters critical literacy.
Referanslar
Ariès, P. (1962). Centuries of childhood: A social history of family life (R. Baldick, Trans.). Jonathan Cape. (Original work published 1960).
Arizpe, E. (2021). Migrant shoes and forced walking in children’s literature about refugees: Material testimony and embodied simulation. Migration Studies, 9(3), 1343–1360. https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnz047
Banks, J. A. (2015). Cultural diversity and education: Foundations, curriculum, and teaching (6th ed.). Routledge.
Bhabha, H. K. (1994). The location of culture. Routledge.
Bishop, R. S. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, 6(3), ix-xi.
Botelho, M. J., & Rudman, M. K. (2009). Critical multicultural analysis of children’s literature: Mirrors, windows, and doors. Routledge.
Cai, M. (2002). Multicultural literature for children and young adults: reflections on critical issues. Greenwood Press.
Campano, G., & Ghiso, M. P. (2023). Immigrant students as cosmopolitan intellectuals. In S. A. Wolf, K. Coats, P. Enciso, & C. A. Jenkins (Eds.), Handbook of research on children's and young adult literature (C. Pamay, Trans., pp. 35-56). Erdem.
Chambers, I. (2014). Göç, kültür, kimlik (İ. Türkmen & M. Beşikçi, Trans.; 3rd ed.). Ayrıntı.
Cummins, A. (2016) Refugees and immigrants in children’s fiction new books to build understanding across borders. A Journal of the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts. 46(2).
Goldstone, B. (2002). Whaz up with our books? Changing picture books codes and teaching implications. The Reading Teacher, 55(4), 362-370. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20205063
Gu, X. and Catalano, T. (2022). Representing transition experiences: A multimodal critical discourse analysis of young immigrants in children’s literature. Linguistics and Education, 71, 101083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101083.
Hintz, C., & Tribunella, E. L. (2023). Reading children's literature: A critical introduction (2nd ed.). Broadview Press.
IFLA/UNESCO. (2022). IFLA-UNESCO halk kütüphanesi manifestosu 2022. https://www.ifla.org/units/public-libraries/projects/public-library-manifesto/
International Organization for Migration. (2023). World migration report 2024. https://publications.iom.int/books/world-migration-report-2024
Kapusızoğlu, F. (2024). Çocuk edebiyatında "göç" teması üzerine çoklu bakış açısı temelli bir araştırma [A multi-perspective based case study on the theme of "migration" in children's literature] (Publication No. 866919) [Doctoral dissertation, Yıldız Technical University]. Council of Higher Education Thesis Center. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading images: The grammar of visual design (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Leonard, M. (2016). The sociology of children, childhood and generation. Sage Publications.
Lukens, R. J., Smith, J. J., & Coffel, C. M. (2012). A critical handbook of children's literature (9th ed.). Pearson. (Original work published 1976).
Mathews, G. (1999). The philosopher’s child. Harvard University Press.
Nikolajeva, M., & Scott, C. (2001). How picturebooks work. Garland Publishing.
OECD. (2022). Trends shaping education 2022. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/d8f35f8d-en
Paris, D., & Alim, H. S. (Eds.). (2017). Culturally sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and learning for justice in a changing world. Teachers College Press.
Portes, A., & Rumbaut, R. G. (2014). Immigrant America: A portrait (4th ed.). University of California Press.
Postman, N. (1995). Çocukluğun yokoluşu (K. İnal, Trans.). İmge. (Original work published 1982).
Rodriguez, N. N. ve Kim, E. J. (2018). In search of mirrors: An Asian Critical Race Theory content analysis of Asian American picture books from 2007 to 2017. Journal of Children’s Literature, 44(2), 17-30.
Rundell, K. (2020). Neden çocuk kitapları okumalıyız? (Ş. Taş, Çev.). Domingo. (Original work published 2019).
Said, E. (1990). Reflections on exile. In R. Ferguson, M. Gever, T. T. Minh-ha, & C. West (Eds.), Out there: Marginalization and contemporary cultures (pp. 357–363). MIT Press.
Short, K. G. (2018). Critical content analysis of visual images. In J. Z. Janks & K. G. Short (Eds.), Critical content analysis of children’s and young adult literature (pp. 161–175). Routledge.
Sipe, L. R. (2011). The art of the picturebook. In S. A. Wolf, K. Coats, P. Enciso, & C. A. Jenkins (Eds.), Handbook of research on children's and young adult literature (pp. 238–252). Routledge.
Sipe, L. R. (2023). The art of the picturebook. In Studies in children’s literature (C. Pamay, Trans., pp. 110–135). Erdem Yayınları. (Original work published 2019)
Strekalova-Hughes, E. (2019). Unpacking refugee flight: Critical content analysis of picture books featuring refugee protagonists. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 21(2), 23–44. https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v21i2.1871.
Suárez Orozco, C., Abo Zena, M., & Marks, A. (2015). Transitions: The development of children of immigrants. New York University Press.
Turner, V. (1969). The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. Aldine.
UNICEF. (2023). Number of displaced children reaches new high of 43.3 million [Press release]. https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/number-displaced-children-reaches-new-high-433-million
Prout, A., & James, A. (2005). A new paradigm for the sociology of childhood? Provenance, promise, and problems. In A. James & A. Prout (Eds.), Constructing and reconstructing childhood: Contemporary issues in the sociological study of childhood (pp. 7–32). Falmer Press.
Alva, A. (2018). La frontera: El viaje con papá-My journey with papa (D. Mills, Illus.). Barefoot Books.
Arias, P. D. (2018). Mervan's journey (L. Borras, Illus.). Edam.
Aslan, S. (2020). Galiba hışırdıyorum (C. Dinç, Illus.). İletişim.
Barroux. (2020). Welcome (Barroux, Illus.). Redhouse Kidz.
Choi, Y. (2003). The name jar (Y. Choi, Illus.). Dragonfly Books.
Davies, N. (2020). The day war came (R. Cobb, Illus.). Ketebe.
Dubois, C. K. (2018). Akim court (C. K. Dubois, Illus.). Ginko Çocuk.
Gökçeer, G. (2018). Öteki aslanlar (H. Sönmezay, Illus.). Masalperest.
Guridi, R. N. (2020). Como Meter Una Ballena En Una Maleta (Guridi, Illus.). Ketebe.
Hest, P. V. (2017a). Far from home (A. Dijkstra, Illus.). Gergedan.
Kozikoğlu, T. (2020). Dönme dolap (H. Sönmezay, Illus.). Doğan Egmont.
Maclear, K. (2020). The story of a boat (R. Kheiriyeh, Illus.). Al Baraka Çocuk.
Madjidi, M. (2021). Je M'appelle Maryam (C. K. Dubois, Illus.). Ginko Çocuk.
Milner, K. (2019). My name is not refugee (K. Milner, Illus.). Arden.
Naylor-Ballesteros, C. (2019). The suitcase (C. Naylor-Ballesteros, Illus.). Pearson.
Okçu, S. T., Mizuno, M., & Hemels, V. (2017). Kayıktaki çocuk (G. Sweet, Illus.). Timaş Çocuk.
Phi, B. (2017). A different pond (T. Bui, Illus.). Capstone Young Readers.
Qrbeck Nilssen, C. (2010). Hvor Forer Jed Her? (A. Düzakın, Illus.). ABM.
Ruurs, M. (2017). Stepping stones: A refugee family’s journey (N. A. Badr, Illus.). Nesin.
Sanna, F. (2016). The journey (F. Sanna, Illus.). Taze Kitap.
Sanna, F. (2018). Me and my fear (F. Sanna, Illus.). Taze Kitap.
Sfakianopoulou, M. (2017). Mavi çöl develeri (İ. Samartzi, Illus.). Erdem.
Sharafeddine, F. (2013). Bir kuş olsaydım (A. Karzai, Illus.). Nar.
Tapola, K., & Chalabee, A. (2020). Siinä sinä olet [There you are] (M. Durubi, Illus.). Teos.
Tonatiuh, D. (2013). Pancho rabbit and the coyote: A migrant's tale (D. Tonatiuh, Illus.). Harry N. Abrams.
Tumanyan, H. (2019). A drop of honey (E. Bora, Illus.). Arden.
Williams, K., & Mohammed, K. (2009). My name is Sangoel (C. Stock, Illus.). Eerdmans Books.
Referanslar
Ariès, P. (1962). Centuries of childhood: A social history of family life (R. Baldick, Trans.). Jonathan Cape. (Original work published 1960).
Arizpe, E. (2021). Migrant shoes and forced walking in children’s literature about refugees: Material testimony and embodied simulation. Migration Studies, 9(3), 1343–1360. https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnz047
Banks, J. A. (2015). Cultural diversity and education: Foundations, curriculum, and teaching (6th ed.). Routledge.
Bhabha, H. K. (1994). The location of culture. Routledge.
Bishop, R. S. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, 6(3), ix-xi.
Botelho, M. J., & Rudman, M. K. (2009). Critical multicultural analysis of children’s literature: Mirrors, windows, and doors. Routledge.
Cai, M. (2002). Multicultural literature for children and young adults: reflections on critical issues. Greenwood Press.
Campano, G., & Ghiso, M. P. (2023). Immigrant students as cosmopolitan intellectuals. In S. A. Wolf, K. Coats, P. Enciso, & C. A. Jenkins (Eds.), Handbook of research on children's and young adult literature (C. Pamay, Trans., pp. 35-56). Erdem.
Chambers, I. (2014). Göç, kültür, kimlik (İ. Türkmen & M. Beşikçi, Trans.; 3rd ed.). Ayrıntı.
Cummins, A. (2016) Refugees and immigrants in children’s fiction new books to build understanding across borders. A Journal of the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts. 46(2).
Goldstone, B. (2002). Whaz up with our books? Changing picture books codes and teaching implications. The Reading Teacher, 55(4), 362-370. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20205063
Gu, X. and Catalano, T. (2022). Representing transition experiences: A multimodal critical discourse analysis of young immigrants in children’s literature. Linguistics and Education, 71, 101083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101083.
Hintz, C., & Tribunella, E. L. (2023). Reading children's literature: A critical introduction (2nd ed.). Broadview Press.
IFLA/UNESCO. (2022). IFLA-UNESCO halk kütüphanesi manifestosu 2022. https://www.ifla.org/units/public-libraries/projects/public-library-manifesto/
International Organization for Migration. (2023). World migration report 2024. https://publications.iom.int/books/world-migration-report-2024
Kapusızoğlu, F. (2024). Çocuk edebiyatında "göç" teması üzerine çoklu bakış açısı temelli bir araştırma [A multi-perspective based case study on the theme of "migration" in children's literature] (Publication No. 866919) [Doctoral dissertation, Yıldız Technical University]. Council of Higher Education Thesis Center. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading images: The grammar of visual design (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Leonard, M. (2016). The sociology of children, childhood and generation. Sage Publications.
Lukens, R. J., Smith, J. J., & Coffel, C. M. (2012). A critical handbook of children's literature (9th ed.). Pearson. (Original work published 1976).
Mathews, G. (1999). The philosopher’s child. Harvard University Press.
Nikolajeva, M., & Scott, C. (2001). How picturebooks work. Garland Publishing.
OECD. (2022). Trends shaping education 2022. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/d8f35f8d-en
Paris, D., & Alim, H. S. (Eds.). (2017). Culturally sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and learning for justice in a changing world. Teachers College Press.
Portes, A., & Rumbaut, R. G. (2014). Immigrant America: A portrait (4th ed.). University of California Press.
Postman, N. (1995). Çocukluğun yokoluşu (K. İnal, Trans.). İmge. (Original work published 1982).
Rodriguez, N. N. ve Kim, E. J. (2018). In search of mirrors: An Asian Critical Race Theory content analysis of Asian American picture books from 2007 to 2017. Journal of Children’s Literature, 44(2), 17-30.
Rundell, K. (2020). Neden çocuk kitapları okumalıyız? (Ş. Taş, Çev.). Domingo. (Original work published 2019).
Said, E. (1990). Reflections on exile. In R. Ferguson, M. Gever, T. T. Minh-ha, & C. West (Eds.), Out there: Marginalization and contemporary cultures (pp. 357–363). MIT Press.
Short, K. G. (2018). Critical content analysis of visual images. In J. Z. Janks & K. G. Short (Eds.), Critical content analysis of children’s and young adult literature (pp. 161–175). Routledge.
Sipe, L. R. (2011). The art of the picturebook. In S. A. Wolf, K. Coats, P. Enciso, & C. A. Jenkins (Eds.), Handbook of research on children's and young adult literature (pp. 238–252). Routledge.
Sipe, L. R. (2023). The art of the picturebook. In Studies in children’s literature (C. Pamay, Trans., pp. 110–135). Erdem Yayınları. (Original work published 2019)
Strekalova-Hughes, E. (2019). Unpacking refugee flight: Critical content analysis of picture books featuring refugee protagonists. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 21(2), 23–44. https://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v21i2.1871.
Suárez Orozco, C., Abo Zena, M., & Marks, A. (2015). Transitions: The development of children of immigrants. New York University Press.
Turner, V. (1969). The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. Aldine.
UNICEF. (2023). Number of displaced children reaches new high of 43.3 million [Press release]. https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/number-displaced-children-reaches-new-high-433-million
Prout, A., & James, A. (2005). A new paradigm for the sociology of childhood? Provenance, promise, and problems. In A. James & A. Prout (Eds.), Constructing and reconstructing childhood: Contemporary issues in the sociological study of childhood (pp. 7–32). Falmer Press.
Alva, A. (2018). La frontera: El viaje con papá-My journey with papa (D. Mills, Illus.). Barefoot Books.
Arias, P. D. (2018). Mervan's journey (L. Borras, Illus.). Edam.
Aslan, S. (2020). Galiba hışırdıyorum (C. Dinç, Illus.). İletişim.
Barroux. (2020). Welcome (Barroux, Illus.). Redhouse Kidz.
Choi, Y. (2003). The name jar (Y. Choi, Illus.). Dragonfly Books.
Davies, N. (2020). The day war came (R. Cobb, Illus.). Ketebe.
Dubois, C. K. (2018). Akim court (C. K. Dubois, Illus.). Ginko Çocuk.
Gökçeer, G. (2018). Öteki aslanlar (H. Sönmezay, Illus.). Masalperest.
Guridi, R. N. (2020). Como Meter Una Ballena En Una Maleta (Guridi, Illus.). Ketebe.
Hest, P. V. (2017a). Far from home (A. Dijkstra, Illus.). Gergedan.
Kozikoğlu, T. (2020). Dönme dolap (H. Sönmezay, Illus.). Doğan Egmont.
Maclear, K. (2020). The story of a boat (R. Kheiriyeh, Illus.). Al Baraka Çocuk.
Madjidi, M. (2021). Je M'appelle Maryam (C. K. Dubois, Illus.). Ginko Çocuk.
Milner, K. (2019). My name is not refugee (K. Milner, Illus.). Arden.
Naylor-Ballesteros, C. (2019). The suitcase (C. Naylor-Ballesteros, Illus.). Pearson.
Okçu, S. T., Mizuno, M., & Hemels, V. (2017). Kayıktaki çocuk (G. Sweet, Illus.). Timaş Çocuk.
Phi, B. (2017). A different pond (T. Bui, Illus.). Capstone Young Readers.
Qrbeck Nilssen, C. (2010). Hvor Forer Jed Her? (A. Düzakın, Illus.). ABM.
Ruurs, M. (2017). Stepping stones: A refugee family’s journey (N. A. Badr, Illus.). Nesin.
Sanna, F. (2016). The journey (F. Sanna, Illus.). Taze Kitap.
Sanna, F. (2018). Me and my fear (F. Sanna, Illus.). Taze Kitap.
Sfakianopoulou, M. (2017). Mavi çöl develeri (İ. Samartzi, Illus.). Erdem.
Sharafeddine, F. (2013). Bir kuş olsaydım (A. Karzai, Illus.). Nar.
Tapola, K., & Chalabee, A. (2020). Siinä sinä olet [There you are] (M. Durubi, Illus.). Teos.
Tonatiuh, D. (2013). Pancho rabbit and the coyote: A migrant's tale (D. Tonatiuh, Illus.). Harry N. Abrams.
Tumanyan, H. (2019). A drop of honey (E. Bora, Illus.). Arden.
Williams, K., & Mohammed, K. (2009). My name is Sangoel (C. Stock, Illus.). Eerdmans Books.
