Download Download
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Shifting Places —Heather Snell It seems fitting to publish a special issue on mobility acclimatize to my new role, she and I are effectively at a time when Jeunesse’s editorial board is undergoing shifting places. significant shifts. This issue marks the beginning of Over the years since the formation of Jeunesse, my tenure as lead editor. The loss of Mavis Reimer there has been regular mobility in the editorial as lead editor will be felt profoundly. Reimer led the ranks. The following editors have been instrumental transformation of Canadian Children’s Literature / in shaping the journal: charlie peters (2009–11), a Littérature canadienne pour la jeunesse into Jeunesse, specialist in early nineteenth-century literature; Laurent a move that signalled the turn for the journal toward Poliquin (2009–11), a specialist in French; Catherine an international scope and an interdisciplinary reach Tosenberger (2009–12), specialist in folklore, fandom in the study of young people’s texts and cultures. Over studies, and YA literature; Jenny Wills (2012–14), the past eight years, she has also generously given her a specialist in critical race studies; and Doris Wolf time and expertise to teaching three junior editors— (2009–15), a specialist in Canadian and Indigenous Doris Wolf, Catherine Tosenberger, and me—how to texts. Naomi Hamer, who specializes in children’s work together to manage a biannual journal that has picture books, films, television, and audience studies, seen an increasing number of submissions since the and Mary LeMaître, specialist in colonial discourse publication of the first issue in 2009. Most of what I analysis and French, joined the editorial team in 2013. know about managing and editing an academic In a move that signalled an even greater embrace of journal I learned from Reimer, and so it is with the an international scope for the journal, we welcomed knowledge that I have gained working with her that three new highly skilled editors to the team in the fall I adopt the role of lead editor. Since Reimer will of 2015: Kristine Alexander, an Assistant Professor of spend another year as part of the editorial team as I History and the Canada Research Chair in Child and Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures 8.1 (2016) 1 Youth Studies at the University of Lethbridge who The fact that this issue focuses on mobility at a time works on the history of children and adolescents in when we are seeing much mobility on the editorial the context of imperialism, globalization, and the First board is, of course, pure coincidence. It is nevertheless World War; Angela Dwyer, an Associate Professor a pleasant coincidence, one that enabled me to reflect in Police Studies and Emergency Management at on where we have been and to look forward to where the University of Tasmania who works on policing we may be going. I should add here that this is only experiences, queer young people, and sexuality the second special issue we have published. The first, from a law, criminology, and sociology perspective; on consumption, appeared in 2014. Encouraged by and Louise Saldanha, an instructor in the English the success of that issue, we decided to put together a Department at Douglas College whose work focuses collection of articles on another key theme relevant to on critical theories of race, gender, migrancy, disability, young people today: mobility. Our call for papers for this and pedagogy. I have no doubt that this formidable issue was wide-ranging. Unwilling to define or restrict editing team will be able to meet the challenges of an intellectual engagements with mobility as it pertains to interdisciplinary and often multidisciplinary journal young people, we invited papers on everything from with great alacrity. dancing children to the containment of freedom and A journal would be nothing without its copy movement. Our call was received enthusiastically: editors and proofreaders, the frequently uncelebrated we ended up with many submissions that unpacked, people behind the scenes who labour to ensure that deconstructed, and played with the notion of mobility no errors remain in the final copy. Melanie Unrau in a variety of ways and in relation to children’s bodies, (2009–10) served as the first copy editor of Jeunesse, toys, and narratives; the spaces of adolescence; travel, followed by Benjamin Lefebvre (2010–16), an expert both real and virtual; transnationalism; multiculturalism in Canadian literature and young people’s texts. charlie and psychogeography; migration/immigration; dance peters proofread the first issue of the journal but was and fitness; critical media literacy; and downward succeeded by Miria Olsen (2009–12) and then by mobility. While we could not use all of the fascinating Catherine Logan (2012–14). Lauren Bosc, a graduate articles that we received, the resulting issue brings of the University of Winnipeg’s M.A. program in together pieces that not only stand out for the quality Cultural Studies, is the current proofreader. All of of their engagements with mobility but also provide these individuals have helped to make Jeunesse a a snapshot of just how much mobility—and the lack successful journal. thereof—has an impact on the lives of young people. 2 Heather Snell Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures 8.1 (2016) Of course, this past year has also seen the eruption Syria with his family on a small inflatable rubber boat of the European refugee crisis, which provoked a great when it capsized only five minutes from shore. The mobility of people out of African and Asian countries boat had been carrying more than twice the number where burgeoning and ongoing conflicts forced many of people for which it had been designed. Aylan, his to flee across the Mediterranean Sea and to seek five-year-old brother, Galip, and his mother, Reyhana, asylum in Europe. The Syrian civil war alone has been drowned. The only member of the Kurdi family to responsible for much of this mobility: early in 2014, survive was Abdullah, Aylan’s father, who explained to Syrian migrants made up one-third of all those who journalists in Turkey shortly after the incident that no landed on the shores of Greece and Italy, overtaking life vests had been available (King and Johnson). Afghans and Eritreans, the next two largest groups of What made the photo particularly affecting to migrants trying to reach Europe (“Mediterranean”). Canadians was the fact that the Kurdi family had been Because many of these migrants travelled on heading to Europe after failing to be approved entry overcrowded and barely serviceable boats, the death into Canada, where they already had family. Aylan’s toll due to drowning rose dramatically in 2015: 1,308 aunt, Teema Kurdi, had attempted to bring Aylan and migrants drowned in April alone (“Mediterranean”). his immediate family to Canada as refugees but had The crisis, which has provoked much attention been denied, largely, she reported, as a consequence worldwide, has only underlined the urgent need to of the Turkish authorities’ failure to cooperate: “We examine mobility and its curtailment. couldn’t get them out” (King and Johnson). Abdullah The impact of the crisis on young people was Kurdi, however, maintains that Canadian authorities brought home most poignantly to those of us who are to blame for the tragedy, arguing that, if they had study young people’s texts and cultures by the widely not rejected his application for asylum, the family circulated photo of a dead three-year-old Kurdish boy would not have had to seek asylum in Europe and his whose body washed up on Bodrum’s Akyarlar coast wife and his children would still be alive (“Drowned”). of Turkey’s Muglaˇ province on 1 September 2015 (see Canadian Citizenship and Immigration officials insist fig. 1). Turkish journalist Nilüfer Demir discovered that they received an application only for Mohammed, the boy’s body on the beach early in the morning of 2 Abdullah’s brother (“Drowned”). The murky details September and, despite being “petrified,” took several surrounding the Kurdi family’s applications proved photos (“Photographer”). The boy was later identified pivotal in exerting pressure on Prime Minister Stephen as Aylan Kurdi, who had been fleeing persecution in Harper and his government to allocate more funds Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures 8.1 (2016) Heather Snell 3 Figure 1: The now iconic photo of Aylan Kurdi’s body washed up on a Turkish beach. Reproduced with permission of the Associated Press. 4 Heather Snell Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures 8.1 (2016) to refugee resettlement and to expedite resettlement society through public policy and collective effort.” He quickly (“Drowned”). Moreover, the Kurdi scandal adds that “what might’ve been—or might still be—a became the organizing image for an issue that was key story about how one three-year-old boy didn’t come to to the 2015 Canadian federal election as party leaders be safe in Canada is now a story about how we should scrambled to recruit it in service of their own political react to the prospect of millions of displaced people.” agendas. The image of teary-eyed Canadian politicians In fact, he speculates that it probably should have quickly began to rival that of Aylan Kurdi’s body, become a moral issue long before it ever became a highlighting the troubling ways in which Demir’s photo Canadian election issue. moved people affectively. The rapidity with which photos of Aylan Kurdi’s In a Maclean’s article on the Kurdi tragedy, body went viral on the Internet should also give us Aaron Wherry insinuates that Aylan’s death would pause. Does it take a photo of a dead three-year-old likely not have received much, if any, attention had washed up on a beach to incite us to care about the it not occurred in the middle of a federal election plight of refugees? Attesting to just how affecting the campaign.