Representations of languages, cultures, and identities in children’s picturebooks portraying refugee stories
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17818642 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Aijuan Cun (0000-0002-8785-8637, University of New Mexico, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 1-18 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Multicultural Education Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2005-615X • E-ISSN: 2377-0031 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/2005615x.2026.2665481 |
| OpenAlex | W7155609577 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 49 |
The present study explored how refugee families’ languages, cultures, and identities were represented in children’s picturebooks portraying refugee stories. By drawing upon the theoretical perspectives on culturally sustaining pedagogy and positioning theory, the analysis of the children’s picturebooks generated three themes: the positioning of languages, the representation of the characters’ cultures and identities, and ending with positive thoughts. English was positioned as the language with linguistic power in a host country, while the characters’ home languages and their bilingual/multilingual identities were not emphasized in every picturebook. A small group of children’s picturebooks highlighted the characters’ heritages, cultures, and identities. Implications include drawing upon the culturally sustaining pedagogy for selecting and using children’s picturebooks.
Identity (music) · Immigration · Narrative · Photo elicitation · Postcolonialism (international relations) · Refugee · German Colonialism and Identity Studies · Multilingual Education and Policy · Themes in Literature Analysis
Navigating a new life
Narrative Inquiry
Refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants and the experience of parenthood
A multicultural education approach to Turkish picture books written for Syrian refugee children
The place of multicultural education in legal acts concerning teacher education in Norway
Two female young adults reclaiming refugee identities
Advancing culturally relevant pedagogy in teacher education from a Chilean perspective
Resisting and Negotiating Literacy Tasks
Dynamics of mobility-stasis in refugee journeys
Wartime, Flight, and Resettlement Realities of Unaccompanied Eritrean Girls in Israel
Literacy and Identity Related to Children’s Education, Work, and Health
I Want to Do Things With Languages”
Will the war in Ukraine be a pivotal moment for refugee education in Europe
Culturally relevant/sustaining pedagogy in a diverse urban classroom
It’s all about the story
Resettled Refugee Youths’ Stories of Migration, Schooling, and Future
Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy
Cultural diversity approaches in schools and adolescents’ willingness to support refugee youth
Positioning theory, embodiment, and the moral orders of objects in social dynamics
The Positioning Diamond
Varieties of Positioning
Varieties of Moral Orders and the Dual Structure of Society
The interplay between teaching for social justice beliefs and intergroup contact experiences in teachers’ responses to new curricular autonomy
But that's just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy
Positioning
Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
What Are We Seeking to Sustain Through Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy? A Loving Critique Forward
Identity as an Analytic Lens for Research in Education
Learning English and Learning America
Fighting for Our Lives
Israel, the Jewish diaspora, and the Palestinian refugee issue
Social Networks of Refugees in the United Kingdom
Unpacking Refugee Flight
Educators' accounts of White racial advantage in K-12 settings
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |