by Janelle Mathis, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
The realization that other young citizens of the global community have messages of empowerment, or agency, to share with children of the western world is perhaps one of the most important roles of international literature. The literature, in which the main characters reveal agency through identity, voice, decision-making, and taking action according to their learned perceptions of a situation, is one way to accomplish that exchange of ideas. That was one of the outcomes for individuals who attended the IBBY Congress last month as active participants in IBBY’s role of building bridges across global cultures. The variety of presentations from so many countries provided numerous common threads of shared concern, purpose, and energy devoted to inform young readers who, in turn, can build community relationships that are international, interdependent, and informed about and by the strengths of people of other cultures. Attendees were made even more aware of the significance of teaching our students about the need for a “mutual exchange of ideas, information, and skills among all participants . . .” mentioned in last week’s blog regarding social action projects with young learners.
Children and adolescents are always in the process of developing their identity – a combination of personal, social, and cultural influences and ideologies. Children, both past and present, throughout the global society are often confronted with challenging events– family or cultural conflicts, natural phenomenon or disaster over which they have no control, or political situations that leave them as innocent victims of adult decisions that directly affect their lives. Authors and illustrators of children’s literature who depict these situations and events often do so in a powerful and authentic manner. They provide readers with characters, both real and fictional, who go beyond resiliency in depicting the strength and agency that young protagonists assume as they take action to make their world a better place. Such demonstrations have the potential to be powerful examples to young readers who are developing their own identities as they participate in their local communities.
Acknowledging the potential of such books, a study was undertaken to examine international literature that is available to English speaking young readers in which the character/s show resiliency in the face of a difficult situation. An investigation and analysis of over 75 books representing 25 countries consisted of a combination of picture and chapter books chosen from various genre. These books were identified from significant award lists, such as USBBY’s Outstanding International Books Annual List; the Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts Award List (selected by the Children’s Literature Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association), Worlds of Words (an online international literature site at www.wowlit.org), and various IBBY lists. After examining the situation and actions of the characters, these titles were further examined to reveal contexts in which characters demonstrated agency and often action in light of the situation. Agency is defined here as that sense of empowerment that leads an individual to realize that he/she has a voice and the potential to take action in a variety of situations. It is characterized by individual freedom, autonomy, decision making, and the responsibility that comes with one’s choices and intentions. Based on characters’ actions, dialogue, intent, relationships, ideological evidence, and family and cultural connections, the various instances of agency were clustered into three categories—personal, social, and ethnic/cultural. Individuals at times displayed agency to deal with issues that affected their personal life and sense of identity. At other times, they used their sense of agency to act in behalf of their families and friends, and quite often there was an ethnic/cultural focus to their display of agency. Guiding questions to distinguish these various types of agency were adapted from a study by Liu (2009).
A result of this content analysis and the many interactions around this topic at the IBBY Congress pointed to:
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- (1) the availability of numerous books in English which the characters are ones that readers can easily connect with
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- (2) the greater number of texts reflecting personal rather than cultural agency
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- (3) the variety of characteristics that describe the context and characters within each situation revealing agency
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- (4) the lack of a term that is synonymous with agency in some languages
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- (5) a keen interest in the books that are published in English by those from other countries
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- (6) the need for engagements that invite learners to connect such characters and situations to their own daily lives
- (7) the role of such an analysis to provide greater insight for the teacher creating authentic discussions and strategies.
Examples of the questions/categories that were used in identifying these books through inquiry charts and book titles that represent each category—personal, social, and cultural agency—are briefly described in the paper provided to the Congress and linked here in pdf or MSWord. A list of books by question/category is available in pdf or MSWord for downloading. Please feel free to share other examples of books in which agency is a powerful demonstration of individual identity development.
[Editor Note: The Breadwinner is reviewed in Volume II, Issue 1 of WOW Review.]
Journey through Worlds of Words during our open reading hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Themes: Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis, Janelle Mathis
- Descriptors: Books & Resources, Debates & Trends, Student Connections, WOW Currents
I wonder if the focus on personal agency is a reflection of the American valuing of individualism and focus on individuals as acting alone (e.g. Rosa Parks) rather than acting within a group effort. Even though these books are set in different parts of the world, they were chosen by U.S. publishers, so that may account for the overemphasis on personal agency. In a research project, we found that children were drawn to books in which children take action for social change and that it changed their perspectives on their own abilities to take action.
This blog caught my eye because I’m currently reading the book that is featured (The Breadwinner), which, by the way, is so fantastic. Multicultural stories are SO important to share with students so they can gain a better understanding of the world around them. I’ve talked to many elementary students who would describe places such as Afghanistan as “that place we’re at war with” — they often have only negative things to say about these places. We need to teach our children that all countries and cultures are beautiful in their own way and that there are good people in all of them. A couple of bad apples have spoiled the entire populations of these countries and we now have to work hard to show our children that a dozen evil people do not accurately represent an entire country.
This blog caught my attention becuase I just finished reading the book, The Breadwinner. I read most of it in two hours and could not put it down. It really is an amazing book. After reading it, I realize how fortunate we really are in America. Females can walk outside alone, we turn on our sinks for water, and can go to school and recieve an Education! I like to read about other cultures and countries and see that we truley are blessed.
If agency means empowerment, the wrold needs more of it. Only through giving children a voice can they begin to sense that someone (anyone) is listening. Children will listen to other children and sometimes parents listen to their children. That is the basis for advertising on Saturday morning. As usual that leaves the real work for adults. We should hear the voices represented in children’s literature and look at it as a chance for redemption. When people begin to pay attention to literature, then literature is doing its job. C.S. Lewis said, “We read so that we know we are not alone.”