Ethics and justice in children’s literature

Synopsis

Joana refuses to eat the porridge they try to force-feed her – they can try telling her stories of kings, but she won’t be convinced. What if Joana isn’t throwing a tantrum but exercising resistance and autonomy? Children’s literature is rich in metaphors of fundamental ethical and justice related issues: the duality between good and evil, fair and unfair, themes of freedom, equality, resistance, among many others.

In this training session for teachers, some of the fundamental questions of ethics and justice will be presented. Examples will be given on how these issues appear in children’s literature and art, and models will be presented on how these questions can be addressed with children in the classroom: through discussing the living conditions and actions of characters in children’s literature; through creating texts that make children imagine how the world could be different and reflect on each individual’s responsibility and importance in making that happen.

Soraya Nour Sckell

Soraya Nour Sckell is an associate professor at the NOVA School of Law, Universidade Nova de Lisboa. She is a researcher and deputy director of CEDIS (Center for Research on Law and Society). She was the main researcher of the FCT project “Cosmopolitanism: Justice, democracy, and citizenship without borders.” She received the Wolfgang Kaupen Award from the Sociology of Law Section of the German Society of Sociology in 2018 and the Franco-German Friendship Award from the German Embassy in Paris in 2012. She holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Paris Nanterre in cotutelle with the Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main, as well as a Ph.D. in law from the University of São Paulo. She was the director of the cosmopolitanism programme at the Collège International de Philosophie in Paris (2013-2019) and is the vice president of the Association Humboldt France.

Included in the Ethics and Justice Cycle