19
May
21
May
Narrating the Child and the Baltic Sea
The 2nd International Conference of “The Graphic World of Children”
This is the first conference that addresses the representation of the Baltic Sea in children’s literature and media, in addition to childhood memories in adult literature and media, from 1945 onwards. The conference addresses a significant gap in childhood studies while contributing to broader cultural, ecological, and geopolitical discussions. Focusing on the Baltic Sea as both a geographical and cultural space, it examines its depiction in a wide range of genres and media, from picture books and poetry to children’s films and young adult novels.
Some contributions also consider the sea’s symbolic function, exploring contrasts between nature and civilization and the ways in which narratives of the sea reflect societal changes over time. By integrating perspectives from multiple disciplines, the conference offers a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the Baltic Sea’s place in the cultural and narrative landscapes of children’s media. By doing so it not only fills a significant gap in children’s literature studies but also provides a timely reflection on the importance of storytelling in addressing pressing ecological and cultural challenges.
Children’s literature and media are powerful tools for fostering environmental awareness, and the depiction of the Baltic Sea. The conference explores these themes by connecting them to broader global discussions on sustainability and the role of storytelling in building more conscious and engaged citizens.
Welcome!
- Lisa Källström (organiser)
together with the organising committee:
- Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer (University of Tübingen),
- Maaheen Ahmed (Ghent University) and
- Birgitte Beck Pristed (Aarhus University)
on behalf of Graphic World of Children.
Conference program
Location: UB425
- 9.30 Welcome Lisa Källström (Södertörn, Sweden)
- 9.45 Introduction Lisa Källström, Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer (University of Tübingen, Germany), Birgitte Beck Pristed (Aarhus, Denmark), Maaheen Ahmed (Ghent, Belgien)
- 10.15 Pia Ahlbäck (Åbo Akademi University, Finland) & Mia Österlund (Åbo Akademi University, Finland): The Girl and the Gulf: Timescapes in Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book (1972)
Pdf, 223.7 kB. - 10.45 Coffee
- 11.15 Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer (University of Tübingen, Germany) & Jörg Meibauer (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany): The Baltic Sea as a Space of Longing in East German Children’s Literature Pdf, 470.2 kB.
- 11.45 Jaanika Palm (Estonian Children’s Literature Center and Tartu University, Estonia): The Sea as a Connector, the Sea as a Divider: Childhood Memories and the Baltic Sea in Contemporary Estonian Children’s Literature Pdf, 202.2 kB.
- 12.15 Petra Bäni Rigler (H FHNW, Muttenz, Switzerland) ”Every day the landscape is Renewed...”. The Island as a Figure of Thought - Tove Jansson and the Sea, using the example of Sommarboken, 1972 Pdf, 375.7 kB.
- 12.45 Heidrun Führer (Lund University, Sweden): Seeing Children and the Baltic Sea with the Eyes of Caspar David Friedrich Pdf, 281.8 kB.
- 13.15 Lunch
- 14.15 Marcus Axelsson (Østfold University College (HiØ), Norway) & Charlotte Lindgren (University of Uppsala, Sweden): Ecological Sustainability in Camilla and Viveca Sten’s Merpeople series – A potential for Classroom Discussions Pdf, 461.7 kB.
- 14.45 Ruth Seierstad Stokke (OsloMet, Norway) & Mette Moe (OsloMet, Norway): Aesthetic Representations of the Biosphere in “Vi på Saltkråkan” by Astrid Lindgren Pdf, 398 kB.
- 15.15 Coffee
- 15.45 Leonie Heinecke (Granada, Spain): Across the Baltic Sea: Adventure and Friendship in “Die Reise nach Sundevit” by Benno Pludra Pdf, 50.1 kB. (ZOOM)
- 16.15 Anita Wincencjusz-Patyna (The Eugenisuz Geppert Academy of Art and Design, Wroclaw, Poland) Picturing The Baltic Sea In Polish Children’s Book Illustrations: From 1950 until Now Pdf, 372.3 kB.
- 16.45-17.45 Concluding discussion on key issues raised during the day.
Venue: UB425
- 9.30 Summing up yesterday (by Lennart Hellspong, Södertörn & Valerie Alfven, Stockholm)
- 10.00 Maaheen Ahmed (Ghent University, Belgium): Marinescapes: Imagining Seas and Oceans in French-Language Children’s Comics from the 1940s Pdf, 372.5 kB.
- 10.30 Astrid Hennig-Mohr (University of Frankfurt, Germany): The Stockholm Archipelago: A Desired Escape or a Forced Refuge Pdf, 294.2 kB.
- 11.00 Coffee
- 11.30 Sara Pankenier Weld (University of California, Santa Barbara, USA): Fisher Children on a Baltic Sea Island: Barbro Sedwall’s “Fiskarbarn” Picturebook as Microhistory Pdf, 798.6 kB.
- 12.00 Jana Mikota (Siegen University, Germany) & Lisa Källström (University of Södertörn, Sweden): Benno Pludra and His Love for the Baltic Sea Pdf, 378.8 kB.
- 12.30 Lunch
- 13.30 Elina Druker (Stockholm University, Sweden): Pictures of Exile: Visual Narrative Tools in Ilon Wikland’s Retrospective Picturebooks Pdf, 373.4 kB.
- 14.00 Mari Niitra (Tallinn University, Estonia), Ave Mattheus (Tallinn University, Estonia) Baltic Sea - a Path to Unknown Freedom. Reflections of 1944 Refugee Stories in Children’s Books by Estonian Authors Pdf, 376.3 kB.
- 14.30 Coffe
- 15.00 Birgitte Beck Pristed (Aarhus University, Denmark) Between Here and There: Russophone Children’s Book Publishers in Riga Pdf, 455.6 kB.
- 15.30 Krzysztof Rybak (University of Warsaw, Poland): In (Inter)national Waters? The Baltic Sea in Polish Informational Picturebooks Pdf, 368.4 kB.
- 16.00 Ines Soldwisch (Heinrich Heine University, Germany) & Lisa Källström (University of Södertörn, Sweden) Between Desire and Reality – Letters to Astrid Lindgren from Children in GDR Pdf, 379.9 kB.
- 16.30-17.00 Concluding discussion on key issues raised during the day
Invited guests and external readers of drafts presented during the conference: Valerie Alfven (Stockholm University), Corina Löwe (Linnaeus University), and Lennart Hellspong (Södertörn University).
Specially invited doctoral student: Mårten Michanek (Södertörn University).
Presenters, committee and organiser
Word, 27.9 kB.
Funded by the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies, CBEES.
Page updated
10-03-2025