CFP - Maps and Mapping in Children’s Literature

Literature for children and young adults is a rich source of material for the study of literary maps, one that has been largely overlooked, despite the growth in academic interest in this area of study. We are therefore seeking contributions for a proposed collection on maps in children’s literature that will bring together the best current thinking on the topic, which will become a resource for scholars, and provide a springboard for further study in this area, particularly in terms of interdisciplinary and international discourses.

Possible areas for consideration include, but are not limited to:

• The interplay of literary maps and texts
• The historical and aesthetic development of maps and mapping in children’s literature
• The impact of genre and form on maps (for example in works of fantasy and picturebooks)
• The cultural, ideological, pedagogical, metaphorical, cognitive, narrative and imaginative function of maps in children’s literature
• Differences in form and function between literary maps in children’s literature and those found in adult literature
• The shifting iconography of literary maps
• Issues of representation in maps and mapping
• The use of maps in works of non-fiction for children
• The role of maps and mapping in constructions of children’s spatial, personal (including gendered), regional, international and global identities
• The poetics and politics of maps and mapping in writing for children

Contributions might cover a range of maps from different sources or times, or focus on maps in a single series. We are particularly keen to enlarge the discussion beyond English language texts and maps, and so we welcome contributions that discuss literary maps and mapping in children’s books from non-Anglophone countries.

Please send a 250-300 word abstract as a Word attachment outlining your proposed content, brief biographical information, and a preliminary bibliography to both editors: Dr. Hazel Sheeky Bird at hazelsheekybird@gmail.com and Dr. Anthony Pavlik at anthony.pavlik@ltu.se. E-mails should have the subject line “literary maps”. Questions regarding proposals can also be directed to the editors prior to submission and abstracts should be sent no later than November 21, 2014.

Full articles of no more than 6,000 words will be required no later than September 25, 2015. Acceptance of abstracts will not guarantee inclusion in the final collection. All contributions will be peer reviewed, and responsibility for obtaining copyright permissions lies with the contributor.