<i>My Feelings</i>: Power, politics and childhood subjectivities

Tesař, Marek

doi:10.1080/00131857.2013.781496

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For instance, President Trump’s decision to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from speaking to the public (Johnston, 2017) and his attacks of media outlets giving him unfavorable coverage (National Coalition Against Censorship, 2017; Rutenberg, 2017) can be interpreted as censorship. Tesar (2014) defines “post-totalitarian censorship” as when citizens know and avoid “what would be considered ‘crossing the boundaries’ or ‘getting into trouble’” (p. 866), and therefore become “self-censoring, docile bodies” (p. 866).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“It Was . . . the Word ‘Scrotum’ on the First Page”: Educators’ Perspectives of Controversial Literature

Kimmel

Hartsfield

2018

Journal of Teacher Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Preemptive censorship occurs when educators avoid particular books because they dislike the ideas or values the books contain or fear the controversy the books may evoke. Although not as blatant as other forms of censorship, preemptive censorship has the unfortunate consequence of restricting children’s access to ideas and information. Moreover, preemptive censorship violates students’ intellectual freedom and right to read. In this study, we employ critical discourse analysis to examine discussions by preservice teachers and school librarians as they responded to a controversial children’s book. Our analysis of the discussions revealed that many preservice educators maintain a protective view of children, fear the negative reactions of parents, and would choose to engage in preemptive censorship rather than create controversy in their classrooms and schools. We conclude by recommending ways that teacher educators can support preservice teachers and school librarians in their efforts to promote the professional value of intellectual freedom.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“It Was . . . the Word ‘Scrotum’ on the First Page”: Educators’ Perspectives of Controversial Literature

Kimmel

Hartsfield

2018

Journal of Teacher Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…On the surface, these stories resemble fairy tales with happy endings that aim to support teachers to work with children through difficult times. They portray childhoods and children from a certain perspective that ultimately forecloses on children’s sovereignty (Tesar, 2014). For example, in the story Off You Go, Auntie Ma , Huriana enjoys attending the crèche, but she does not want her Auntie Ma, who brings her there, to leave (Holt, 2004).…”

Section: My Feelings: Biopolitics and The Governing Of Childhoodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forever young: Childhoods, fairy tales and philosophy

Tesař

Kupferman

Rodriguez

et al. 2016

Global Studies of Childhood

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fairy tales play a substantial role in the shaping of childhoods. Developed into stories and played out in picture books, films and tales, they are powerful instruments that influence conceptions and treatments of the child and childhoods. This article argues that traditional fairy tales and contemporary stories derived from them use complex means to mould the ways that children live and experience their childhoods. This argument is illustrated through representations of childhoods and children in a selection of stories and an analysis of the ways they act on and produce the child subjects and childhoods they convey. The selected stories are examined through different philosophical lenses, utilizing Foucault, Lyotard and Rousseau. By problematizing these selected stories, the article analyses what lies beneath the surface of the obvious meanings of the text and enticing pictures in stories, as published or performed. Finally, this article argues for a careful recognition of the complexities of stories used in early childhood settings and their powerful and multifaceted influences on children and childhoods.

show abstract

“…When children’s literature tells stories about child protagonists, these figures are imbued with particular meanings, as representations of adult values, beliefs and assumptions about children. Stories in early childhood literature expose children to ideologies (Tesar, 2013), and fictional children represent and reproduce culture, mirroring the social and cultural expectations of children driven by adult ideology (Tesar, 2014; Tesar and Koro-Ljungberg, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Children’s literature in China: Revisiting ideologies of childhood and agency

Tesař

Tong²,

Gibbons

et al. 2019

Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this article we consider historical and contemporary ideologies of childhood in China and critically examine notions of ‘child’ and ‘childhood’ in Chinese children’s literature. We analyse the themes and knowledge that relate to relevant historical and contemporary political events and policies, and how these contribute to the production of childhoods. We focus on three images of childhoods in China: the Confucian child, the Modern child and the Maoist child. Each of the images reflects a way of seeing, a perspective about what a child ought to be and become, and what their childhood should look like. Everyday media are reflected in the texts and stories examined and portray both ‘imagined’ and ‘real-life’ narratives of children and their childhoods. The stories, and the connected power relations, represent an important link between the politics of childhood and the pedagogy associated with these politics, including large-scale state investment in the production of desired, ideal and perfect childhoods. Through such an examination of contemporary and historical children’s literature and media in China we also explore the ways in which contemporary media revitalise particular notions of child agency.

show abstract

My Feelings: Power, politics and childhood subjectivities

Cited by 13 publications

References 5 publications

“It Was . . . the Word ‘Scrotum’ on the First Page”: Educators’ Perspectives of Controversial Literature

“It Was . . . the Word ‘Scrotum’ on the First Page”: Educators’ Perspectives of Controversial Literature

Forever young: Childhoods, fairy tales and philosophy

Children’s literature in China: Revisiting ideologies of childhood and agency

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About