Problematizing the Promises of the American Library Association's Awards that Recognize Difference
Open Access
- Author:
- Rowland Storm, Cuthbert Jas
- Graduate Program:
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- April 12, 2018
- Committee Members:
- Vivian Yenika-Agbaw, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Vivian Yenika-Agbaw, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Patrick Shannon, Committee Member
Steven Herb, Committee Member
Wanda Knight, Outside Member - Keywords:
- American Library Association
children's literature
children's literature awards
Coretta Scott King Awards
Pura Belpré Award
Schneider Award
Stonewall Award
Newbery Award
difference
normalcy - Abstract:
- The American Library Association presents several awards for children’s literature that represent difference. Through critical content analysis, this study examines the criteria and five recent winners of the Coretta Scott King, Pura Belpré, Schneider, and Stonewall awards, as well as the Newbery award, to understand how they represent difference. This study considers ways challenges and strengths are represented, as well as how the books represent normalcy and others who are considered different, through a theoretical framework built on Williams’ theory of a selective tradition, Lemert’s crisis, Fraser’s status model, critical theories of identity, and critical multicultural theory. By their very nature the books reify identity boundaries, but Pura Belpré winners also question the importance of those borders. Characters from many of the books desire normalcy, and that normalcy is contrasted against how other groups are represented. Normalcy is desired by these characters because it seems to afford equal status to those who are considered normal.