Saving the World

Children's and Young Adult’s Literature between Social Engagement and Aesthetic Play

The speakers will approach the multifaceted literary attempts to save and improve the world from different literary studies, literary-historical and interdisciplinary perspectives. They will discuss the extent to which the endeavours of children's and young adult literature to make the world a better place have been or can be realised. Is it necessary to reposition children's and young adult literature in light of current global political developments, to become more politicised? How can stories be told today about war and peace, migration and climate change, for example? The conference will focus on the question of the opportunities, possibilities and pitfalls that children's and young adult books offer in terms of educating, influencing and raising awareness for the improvement of the world. And to what extent children's and young adult literature can be instrumentalised for an (adult) longing to save the world. The conference will include a reading and a discussion with author Stepha Quitterer.

A co-operation between the University of Augsburg and the International Youth Library Foundation.

Please register via lisa.rettinger@philhist.uni-augsburg.de.