Children's literature and transnationalism

This chapter argues that transnationalism is defined by its dialectical relationship to nationhood and nationalism through a discussion of transnational textuality. We first consider Indigenous texts that locate themselves at the margins of the nation, contesting settler society imaginings of homogeneous national identities. The second section of the chapter focuses on narratives of migrancy and refugee experience, demonstrating how texts for the young address the economic and cultural difficulties of families and individuals who depart familiar places, languages, and people to create new lives. In the final section we consider the “doubleness” of transnational identities forged by diasporic characters whose intergenerational relationships disclose the complexities of these identities.