Children’s Picture Books and Contemporary Egyptian Society
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A social and political history of two decades of Egyptian neoliberalism through children’s picture books published in Egypt in the post-2000 era Children’s picture books are some of the most transparently ideological materials available to parents and educators, and as cultural objects they are an expression of the zeitgeist of a particular era. They reveal much about the hopes, values, and aspirations of the society that produces them, as well as that society’s vision of its place in the wider
Our Review
This academic work offers a compelling analysis of how Egyptian children's picture books from the post-2000 era serve as cultural artifacts reflecting the nation's complex social and political landscape. Yasmine Motawy meticulously examines these illustrated texts not merely as stories for young readers, but as transparent ideological materials that capture the zeitgeist of two decades shaped by neoliberalism. The book reveals how these seemingly simple narratives encode the hopes, values, and aspirations of Egyptian society during a period of significant transformation, providing a unique lens through which to understand contemporary Egypt.
What distinguishes this study is its sophisticated methodology of reading children's literature as both social commentary and political history, making it an essential resource for scholars of Middle Eastern studies, postcolonial literature, and cultural anthropology. Readers interested in how educational materials subtly shape national identity and transmit political values will find Motawy's critical framework particularly illuminating, as she demonstrates how picture books articulate a society's vision of its place in the global landscape. This groundbreaking analysis fundamentally changes how we perceive the ideological work performed by children's literature in shaping cultural narratives.
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