Writing a Novel with Roma Primary School Children: Tensions in Disrupting Aetonormativity
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Writing a Novel with Roma Primary School Children: Tensions in Disrupting Aetonormativity Tom Dobson1 · Lisa Stephenson1 · Ana De Arede1 Accepted: 15 October 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Story Makers Press (SMP) is a University-based publisher which co-constructs stories with under-represented groups of children in order to diversify representation in children’s literature and disrupt the way adult perceptions of normality pattern children’s literature (aetonormativity). In this paper we analyse six drama and creative writing workshops run by SMP with Czech and Slovak Roma children from an inner city primary school in the north of England to co-construct a story about climate change. Our analysis identifies how in developing the story, the children were often reluctant to draw upon their funds of knowledge relating to their Roma backgrounds, instead Westernising their protagonists and settings. We also explore how the children disrupt aetonormativity by interweaving magical elements into realistic narrative about climate change in order to establish a genre of magical realism. Finally, we identify how this genre of magical realism is problematic when considering stereotypical depictions of Roma characters in children’s literature and how changes were made to our story in light of a critical race theory reading of the first draft. As well as helping SMP to refine its processes, this analysis suggests that minority groups such as Roma need to be able to draw upon more literary representations of Roma in order to shape their creative outputs and that the curriculum needs to focus on developing children’s critical responses to the representation of minority ethnic groups in children’s literature. Tom Dobson is a founder member of Story Makers Press and a research practitioner with expertise in creative writing pedagogy. Lisa Stephenson is the director of Story Makers Press and a research practitioner with expertise in drama pedagogy wellbeing. Ana De Arede is the publisher of Story Makers Press and her expertise is in publishing. * Tom Dobson [email protected] Lisa Stephenson [email protected] Ana De Arede A.F.Sanches‑De‑[email protected] 1
Leeds Beckett University, Headingley Campus, Carnegie Hall, Leeds LS6 3QS, UK
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Children’s Literature in Education
Keywords Roma · Children’s literature · Primary school · Creative writing
Introduction This article explores the processes involved in the co-construction and editing of the third children’s book published by Story Makers Press (SMP), Chasing the Volcano, 2020. SMP is a University-based publisher of children’s books, which has two key interrelated aims. Firstly, SMP publishes books which represent groups of children who are under-represented in children’s literature. This is in line with research undertaken by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE, 2018) and Harris et al. (2019), which emphasises the under-representation of black and minority ethnic groups as well as the way in which
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