Children's and Youth Literature in the Context of War and Displacement. Comparative Perspectives between the 20th and 21st Centuries

The response of children's and youth literature to situations of war and displacement has been extensively studied. From a transnational perspective, comparative research on children's and youth literature examines aspects of historical and cultural memory, various forms of censorship, as well as strategies for depicting characters, particularly child characters.

Numerous questions arise in the context of war and displacement: To what extent can children's literature contribute to the construction of war narratives and exile reports, including stories of resistance and resilience, on a national and transnational level? What influence do these narratives have today on the construction of historical and cultural memories? What approaches and methods can be used to promote the comparative analysis of children's literature?

Hardly any category of fiction has changed as much in the European book market over the past 100 years as children's and youth literature. Media aspects such as the increasing importance of illustration and interaction, linguistic and thematic shifts, and the delineation of certain genres (e.g., fantasy) and the opening up to world literatures (and corresponding translations from various languages) play a significant role. All of this is also relevant for the context considered in our conference.

In cooperation with the Wuppertal-based Peter Hammer Verlag, which has been committed to opening up to literature from other continents since the 1960s and is also one of the most important German-language children's and youth book publishers, we are organizing a symposium to shed light on this development. In addition to individual studies focusing on the Spanish Civil War, World War II, the Cold War, and more recent conflicts, we are also interested in comparative studies that cover various contexts or reveal the historical development of genres or differently edited individual works. Within the broad area of war and displacement, the following thematic focal points are available for proposal submissions:

1. Depiction of Characters and Spaces

2. Historical and Cultural Memory

3. Processes of Collective Belonging

4. Multilingualism and Transculturality

5. Forms of Censorship and Propaganda

6. Counter- and Subcultural Tendencies

Each presentation should last 15 minutes, followed by another 15 minutes for discussion. Thematic panels with multiple speakers can also be proposed. Submissions, whether individual or joint, must be submitted as a 400-500 word abstract in Spanish, French, German, or English between October 1st and December 31st, 2024 (inclusive) to chihaia@uni-wuppertal.de and snunez@uni-wuppertal.de. The proposal should also indicate whether the presentation will be in person or online.