Racialized space and discourse in the picture books of Ezra Jack Keats

Abstract

Scholars have argued elementary social studies is uniquely suited to build a foundation of critical knowledge of race and racism with young children (e.g. Bolgatz, 2005, 2007; Wills, 2005). To build this foundation, we must more deeply examine the materials, such as picture books, that are used in early classrooms. This research is a qualitative content analysis of one set of picture books: the neighborhood books of Caldecott award winner Ezra Jack Keats. Drawing on Goldberg׳s (1993) theory of racialized discourse and Neely and Sumatra׳s (2011) theory on racialized space, this research analyzes the racialized fictional space of Keats׳s neighborhood, and contextualizes the texts within broader socio-historical racial discourse. The author argues Keats׳s texts racialize neighborhood space through the characters’ relationships with each other, their interaction with the space, and the physical depiction of the setting. This research contributes to a growing movement toward addressing race and racism in elementary social studies by demonstrating how scholars, teachers, and students may interrogate picture books as transmitters of racial knowledge and history.

Publication Title

Journal of Social Studies Research

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