Materiality and cultural diversity in picturebooks
International Online Seminar
30 March 2023
Scienze dell’Educazione e della Formazione, University of Padova
Speaker: Ana Margarida Ramos, University of Aveiro (Portugal)
Materiality and cultural diversity in contemporary object-books
The aim of this study, anchored in the analysis of some contemporary object-books and picturebooks that take advantage of materiality, is to reflect on how contemporary volumes aimed at children, published in independent and specialized publishers, revisit and recreate very old artistic traditions, proposing their reconfiguration for new audiences and in new forms and objects, with affinities with the universe of the artist’s book. Furthermore, and even though they are included in large-circulation commercial projects, these publications seek to maintain artisanal construction elements, giving individuality and an original character to each book, investing, once again in materiality (paper type, printing techniques and binding, among others).
Can boys wear dresses? Picturebooks that challenge gender stereotypes
Based on the theories of postmodern contemporary picturebooks, focusing on text, illustrations, and materiality, not forgetting peritexts, this presentation analyses a corpus of three recent picturebooks, published in different countries, that deal implicitly with one of the main outputs of gender identity – clothing. The selected books are El niño perfecto (2012), by Álex González and Bernat Cormand, Os vestidos do Tiago (2015), by Joana Estrela, and Julián is a mermaid (2018), by Jessica Love, published respectively in Spain, Portugal and the United States.
