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Article
Publication date: 16 May 2019

Mary Tomsic and Claire Marika Deery

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the contemporary “refugee crisis” is being presented to children through picture books and teaching materials. It uses the concept of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the contemporary “refugee crisis” is being presented to children through picture books and teaching materials. It uses the concept of refugeedom as an approach that takes into account the multiple facets involved in the forced movement of people in the past and present and seeks to show the value of historical understandings in educational contexts when framing resources for teachers and students.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines a sample of high-profile English language picture books about children’s stories of forced displacement and the most prominent freely available teaching materials connected to the books. A critical discursive analysis of the books and educative guides considers the ways in which ideas and information about forced displacement is framed for child readers and children in primary school classrooms. The context for the authors’ interest in exploring these books and educational resources is that in response to the numbers of children who are part of the current “refugee crisis” alongside a public call for the “crisis” to be explained to children.

Findings

The paper argues that picture books open up spaces for children to explore refugeedom through experiences of forced movement and various factors involved in the contemporary “refugee crisis”. In contrast, in the teaching resources and some peritextual materials, the child in the classroom is addressed as entirely disconnected from children who are forcibly displaced, students in classrooms are positioned to learn from the refugee “other”. When links are made between students in classroom and children who have been forcibly displaced it is through activities that position students in classrooms to imagine themselves as forcibly displaced, or to suggest they act within a humanitarian framework of welcoming or helping refugees. The authors believe that if teaching resources were more directly informed by discipline specific tools of historical concepts, more nuanced approaches to past and present histories of forced movement could be considered and from that more fruitful learning opportunities created for all students.

Practical implications

This research provides ideas about how materials to support the use of picture books in educational settings could be developed to promote historical thinking and contextualisation around key social and political issues in the world today. It also makes the case for historians to be involved in the creation of teaching materials in a collaborative way so that academic insights can be brought to teachers and students at all levels of education.

Originality/value

The value of this research is to understand how children are positioned in reading and learning about forced displacement and query the impact of decontextualised approaches to learning. It argues for the critical interpretative value that historical understanding can bring to present day issues which are history in the making.

Details

History of Education Review, vol. 48 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0819-8691

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Book part
Publication date: 13 September 2023

Vjeran Katunarić

Abstract

Details

A Sociological Examination of the Gift Economy: Envisioning the Future
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-118-9

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Book part
Publication date: 13 September 2023

Vjeran Katunarić

Abstract

Details

A Sociological Examination of the Gift Economy: Envisioning the Future
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-118-9

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Article
Publication date: 9 January 2017

Janja Mikulan Kildi and Victor Cepoi

The purpose of this paper is to address the issue of security challenges in the selected states in Eurasia and Central and Eastern Europe from the perspective of peace and…

204

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address the issue of security challenges in the selected states in Eurasia and Central and Eastern Europe from the perspective of peace and politics. Since the security situation differs significantly across the sub-regions under scrutiny, the main objective of the current research is to establish and test a theoretical model of relevant combinations of political factors and their relation to peace. The theoretical framework has been designed by following Fukuyama’s idea of political order and upgraded with the newly constructed index of social exclusion.

Design/methodology/approach

According to the objective and methodological gaps in this field, the paper applies comparative fuzzy set analysis. The method relies on the theoretical framework and empirical data and allows a constant communication between the two. It has allowed the research to focus on what conditions are necessary and/or sufficient for peace in the selected countries.

Findings

It is evident there are several different paths to achieve peace. However, the rule of law clearly constitutes both the necessary and sufficient conditions for peace in the selected regions. Moreover, the results of the research reveal that the concepts of interest are highly interlinked with each other, especially when it comes to the rule of law, state, and democratic accountability. Thus, further research should focus on in-depth analysis of each particular case to explore which conditions or combinations are decisive in particular setting.

Originality/value

Such findings can contribute to improving the areas where Eurasian countries are still lagging behind. Further research should focus on small but significant differences within these four groupings of countries, to improve the understanding of prerequisites for peace and contribute to the development of state and human security in the EU neighborhood.

Details

Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-6599

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