An ambivalent story

Queer children’s literature in Israel between 1986 and 2022

Bibliographic Data

ID12928698
AuthorsShai Rudin (0000-0002-3792-5192, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume16
Issue1
Pages42-62
Publication date2023-03-10
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePower and Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1757-7438 • E-ISSN: 1757-7438
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/17577438231163045
OpenAlexW4323825317
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited4

Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, only 23 Queer literary works have been published for children and adolescents in Hebrew. This paper examines the characteristics of these works in light of the ambivalent and controversial status of the LGBTQ+ community in Israel. The findings show that the few works that have been published and that present same-sex families or LGBTQ+ characters, and the manner in which Queer themes are presented in those texts, are in line with how these issues are perceived and addressed by Israeli society. Moreover, this article divides the Queer Israeli literature for children and youth into three categories: implied Queer literature that hides the Queer existence through the allegoric genre; Queer-phobic literature that seemingly presents the Queer family but in actual fact promotes homophobic stereotypes; and Queer literature that places the LGBTQ+ character or family in the center of the story without passing judgment or criticism

Ambivalence · Art · Criticism · Homosexuality · Literature · Psychoanalysis · Queer · Queer theory · Sociology · African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues · Gender Studies · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Psychology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access