engleski

The Construction of Gender through Discourse: Representation in Croatian Picture Books 1991-1995

The aim of this study was to examine representations of femininity and masculinity in picture book discourses that have been available to pre-school children in Croatia. An underlying broader theoretical point of this project is that gender is constructed (and reconstructed), within a framework that interacts with biological considerations but is not unalterably controlled by that biology. Further, post-structuralist theories pre-suppose that the cultural framework in which gender identities are shaped is determined by discursively produced notions and ideas. Picture books, as inescapably ideological forms of discourse, provide a context in which young children can perceive definitions of 'appropriate' gendered behaviour that may serve to shape (and constrain) gender identities. They indubitably afford opportunities through which children draw upon or reject gendered behaviours as a means of constructing, negotiating, and reconstructing their gendered selves. In light of this dependence, picture books available to pre-school children prior to and following the independence of Croatia were examined to determine the representation of gender and the scope of gender-differentiated practices offered in these discourses. Gender visibility was investigated to determine the presence and centrality of females and males in the mentioned samples of picture books. The portrayal and characterisation of gender (adult role models, parental role models, themes) were also examined to discover the ways in which picture book discourses construct idealised images of males and females, depict their patterns of interaction and position them in the social hierarchy. The analysis of adjectives and illustrations in picture book discourses disclosed the subtle effects of gender stereotyping. Results indicate that the majority of picture book authors and illustrators in independent Croatia are actively involved in the production rather than the transformation of traditional gender relations. These discourses, by propounding a range of available subject positions, social meanings and practices, explicate 'appropriate' ways for children to be within a historical, socio-cultural context that reflect conservatism. In addition, there is a striking absence of manifold narratives that communicate to children that they are capable of formulating their own stories. The author suggests that different kinds of representations 'so as to bring about alternative values' have the potential to make readers think about gender in dramatically new and open-ended ways

cultural constructions of gender; post-structuralist theories; picture book discourses; representation of gender

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