عنوان

'A well-founded fear' :

Number

TLets659430

Title Proper

'A well-founded fear' :

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Hope, Julia

Title Proper by Another Author

children's literature about refugees and its role in the primary classroom

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Goldsmiths College (University of London)

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2015

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Ph.D.

Body granting the degree

Goldsmiths College (University of London)

Text preceding or following the note

2015

Text of Note

This study begins by identifying a new genre in writing for young people which has developed rapidly since the millennium, namely that of children's literature about refugees. It questions whether these books have a role to play in understanding and validating the circumstances of refugees in the primary classroom. Taking as my starting point the UNHCR definition of a refugee as one who has a "well-founded fear" of persecution (1951), I consider the consequences of this position for children and its depiction in two commonly used books in primary schools: Mary Hoffman's The Colour of Home (2002) and Beverley Naidoo's The Other Side of Truth (2000). Making a vertical case study of each book, through an author/ teacher/ child trajectory, I trace the motivations and aims of the two writers, how the books are mediated by teachers in the primary classroom, and how refugee and non-refugee children read, understand and respond to them. Using a variety of qualitative methods, I present data suggesting that pupils in five classes gained valuable insight into a complicated and controversial issue. However viewing children through a refugee/non-refugee binary was reductive, not recognising the multi-layered nuances of meaning which were constructed at all ages. Furthermore, while the primary curriculum in England does not promote reading for socio-political understanding, but focuses on literacy rather than literature goals, teachers played a powerful role in mediating the texts when sharing them in the classroom, and devised a selection of stimulating resources to aid with planning for reader response and some "critical literacy". I also conclude that, as the genre becomes ever more popular with authors, writers need to engage in robust research, give "voice to the voiceless", and have a responsibility to their readers to present positive images of refugees' resilience.

Hope, Julia

Goldsmiths College (University of London)

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y