Abstracts, Seminar 23 |
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The abstracts are copied as received. |
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Religion and Morality in Children´s Books
Author Wally de Doncker , Belgium
• “Myth or Reality: the Picture Book as a Reflection of the Religion of Aboriginal Australians” (Abstract 59) Dr. Heather Foster, Australia
Educationist & author Indira Bagchi , India
Swati Raje , India
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TOUCHING AND TALKING: THE BIG TABOOS
Morality and ethics in children's books
Especially for this congress, I have selected some of my books. Morality and ethics form a major subject in them. Een opa met gaatjes * was my first children's book that emotionally touched people of all ages and very closed connected to ethics. It is the story of the relationship of my own youngest daughter with her grandfather who gradually falls victim to dementia. Which attitude do we have towards the weak and vulnerable? The second book is Ahum a story about an excessively individualistic society. Touching, talking, eye contact are the big taboos. I'll show a fragment of (The Making Of…) the cartoon film ‘ Ahum ' and a fragment of the theatre play. I've been intrigued by the theme of Ik Mis Me** (I Miss Myself) all my life. As a child I often wondered how things would be if I weren't there. Are not all of us looking for a deeper ethical dimension? I'll show a fragment of the dance film ‘ Sister without a sister' based on the book. The last picture book for all ages that I wrote is I Wish I Were a Doll *** . This book sets the reader thinking about the social isolation of old people. These stories carry no answers. On the contrary, they provoke even more questions.
* Translated in German as ‘ Was ist bloss mit Opa los? ' (Rex Verlag, Luzern, Stuttgart 1997) and Danish ‘ Bedstefar med huller i' (Modtryk, Arhus 2002) ** Translated in French as ‘ Vivre sans moi, je ne peux pas' (Editions Être, Paris, 2003) *** Translated in Chinese (3 & 3, Taiwan , 2002)
WALLY DE DONCKER
A SHORT BIOGRAPHY
Wally de Doncker was born on May 19 1958 in the Flemish town of Tielt in northern Belgium . Today, he lives with his family in Hamme, another small Flemish community where he can be reached by email wally.de.doncker@telenet.be
Wally de Doncker began writing full-time in 2001 and since then, his books have been brought to readers in more than twelve countries in Europe and beyond.
He has written very different genres and types of stories so far. From realistic-modern ( Sometimes Salt Tastes Sweet , 2004) to love stories ( Sarah , 1995), from philosophical stories ( I miss myself , 2002), animal stories (A string to the moon, 2005) to science-fiction/fantasy ( Ahum , 2000). His book on dementia 'Een opa met gaatjes' (1996) was a real success in different countries.
Six of his books are adapted into a theatre play, two of his books are adapted to film (cartoon and dance film)
Since 2004, he has been a member of the editorial board of the critical journal of children's literature, The Lion and the Unicorn which is published in the United States of America .
He is a board member of IBBY Flanders (1994-2002, 2006-…).
Wally de Doncker has become a frequent contributor to publications that deal with the international dimension of children's literature, and is a regular guest in libraries, schools and other settings where children and adults come to enjoy his readings.
Wally de Doncker has served as a special teacher of children's literature in a Flemish college and is the founder of Leesdraak (Reading Dragon, 1996), a pre-reading and reading method for very young children.
You can find a short biography of Wally de Doncker in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature (Jack Zipes, U.S.A. 2006)
Wally de Doncker Heirbaan 288 B 9220 Hamme Belgium +3252 474009 http://users.pandora.be/wally.de.doncker1/
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Myth or reality: the picture book as a reflection of the religion of Aboriginal Australians
Abstract. Picture books with Australian Aboriginal themes depict either a secular Aboriginal life or the Dreaming Stories of traditional Aboriginal religion. Over the years indigenous artists have taken ownership of telling their stories, using indigenous motifs and symbols, to produce the Dreaming myths for audiences both indigenous and general. Dreaming mythology recounts the activities of the Ancestral beings from the creative era of traditional Aboriginal religion, and provides a description of the way the world has come to be and should be. From a religious perspective, the Dreaming stories retain relevance for those Aborigines who maintain a traditional religion. However, as most Aborigines identify themselves as Christian and only a small number currently identify as having a traditional Aboriginal religion, how relevant are they to the broader group of indigenous and non indigenous readers? This paper explores the function of the Dreaming myths in picture books within both the religious context of indigenous Australia and the broader community. It will be suggested that, even where individuals are not aligned with traditional Aboriginal religion, the syncretic nature of indigenous Christianity, which incorporates indigenous themes, as well as the cultural references provided by these stories, the Dreaming stories provide an integral function in both Aboriginal and the broader Australian environment.
Biographical data: Dr Heather Foster is a lecturer in the School of Education at the University of South Australia . She works in the area of the Study of Religions and has served on the Executive of the Australian Association for the Study of Religions and was convenor of the 30 th Anniversary conference for that organisation. She completed a Doctorate in religious (specifically Hindu) adaptation and change. She has published in areas related to religious issues in a variety of contexts including in BookBird .
Contact details Dr Heather Foster University of South Australia School of Education Mawson Lakes Campus Mawson Lakes 5095 South Australia Australia Phone: +61 83026474 Email: heather.foster@unisa.edu.au
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RELIGION & MORALITY IN CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Ms INDIRA BAGCHI MEMBER, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ASSOCIATION OF WRITERS & ILLUSTRATORS OR CHILDREN (INDIAN SECTION OF IBBY) NEW DELHI , INDIA
n recent times, there is controversy over the linkage of religion with morality. French sociologist, Emile Durkheim said that religion was the first human attempt to systematically explain the world. He thought that modern religion is an elaboration of belief in magic and that scientific rationality will displace religious rationality. But that has not happened as the beliefs that people have held have become institutionalised through doctrines, rituals and other means and conveyed to the present times.
All religions include a system of principles of right and wrong conduct, which is also referred to as “morality”. The moral values develop from religious tradition and practices that have evolved with the evolving social order. Some sociologists accept that religion gives birth to a code of conduct or a system of moral principles that impinges on human behavioural pattern. Therefore, religion and morality are considered to be linked.
Anarchy is not conducive to the wellbeing of society, which must function with “certainty, regularity and order”. For a society to behave in that fashion its constituents must acknowledge the principles of right and wrong conduct and translate them into practice. Imparting the knowledge of moral values and inducing their acceptance is through the process of formal and non-formal learning in which books play a significant role.
Teaching of religion and moral values, to be effective, has to start at childhood. A child's mind is like soft clay and the impressions etched on it remain indelible throughout life. Storytelling is an effective teaching instrument . The stories told by the elders to children invariably focus on beliefs, attitudes, emotions and behaviour, etc. In other words, the stories generally focus on religion and morality. Stories recoded on clay tablets, barks, leaves, papyrus, etc., were the precursors of today's books. For a child the books are the repositories of knowledge and understanding of religion and morality, which shape his/her attitude and behaviour. Therefore, these have a prominent place in the children's books. The presentation will contain examples from different religions practiced in India .
( For basic data about paper presenter, please see below)
BASIC DATA OF Ms INDIRA BAGCHI (PAPER PRESENTER)
Biodata: Educationist with more than 30 years of experience of teaching in secondary school in India ; author of graded text books for children of primary classes;
Member, Executive Committee, Association of Writers & Illustrators for Children (Indian Section of IBBY) since 2003
Contact Details::
Mailing Address: C-103, Purvasha Apartments Mayur Vihar Phase 1, New Delhi 110 091, India Landline: + 91-11 - 2275 3947 Email: <bagchi.indira@gmail.com>
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FANTASTIC FANTASIES ON INDIAN SOIL
Fantasy , the timeless genre still rules the hearts , minds and souls of the modern world . Fairies , elves , ogres ; they all make it work. May it be Alice 's journey through wonderland or modern day fantasies like Harry Potter or Tolkien's classics. While western fantasies offer us this unimaginable range of fantastic fantasy literature ; do Asian classics show the same affinity towards the genre ?
Does ancient Indian Literature , primarily aimed at adults and imparting moral , ethical and religious values speak about fantasy?
Sure! The paper will delve deeper into the brilliant work of ancient Indian storytellers who amalgamated the ethical text , hard core history and fascinating fantasies that leave us amazed even today.
The war of the two worlds.. superheroes.. supervillians.. fairies.. elves.. and even some threads of science fantasies.. The stories of magic , mysteries and miracles spoke about it all.. many many centuries ago.. even before BCs..
It will be the colourful quest of the nature and role of those ancient Indian fantasies and their impact on the then and the modern world literature, further highlighted by a Powerpoint presentation.
Swati Raje Pune INDIA Email : swatijraje@hotmail.com Tel No : (091) 9822401876 (9120) 25810530
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