Page - 87 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 04/01

Representations of Religion and Culture in Children’s Literature | 87www.jrfm.eu 2018, 4/1, 81–99 identities. Where are religion and mi- gration mediated? How are spaces portrayed? Which spaces are meeting places; which spaces illustrate foreign places? Most of the stories are not set in Germany explicitly, but the use of the German language, the narrative perspective evident, for example, in “the Chinese are celebrating spring festival”20 and the description of the environment suggest Germany or another German-speaking country. In particular, the illustrations show scenes commonplace in Germany. Most of the stories about migration and religion are set in a school or a nursery school (fig. 2), meeting places where children with diverse cultural, religious and national backgrounds come togeth- er. In addition, children who represent foreign identities often invite figures who represent locals into their private living environment to make the latter familiar with specific cultural practices such as festivities and customs. REPRESENTATION OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS Characters are central elements of the narrations and acutely important for analysis of own and foreign identities. Readers identify with figures who me- diate sympathy and antipathy as well as world-views. The embodiment and representation of characters has a great impact on how recipients understand a story.21 Whereas one half of the narrations focuses on male characters, the other half deals with female figures. The analysis indicates that gender affilia- tions, roles and imagery are peripheral in children’s literature that addresses religion and migration. In the representation of foreign identities, the figures of- ten appear to be somewhat genderless. The focus on characteristics of foreign- ers replaces a focus on the characteristics of gender – unlike in other children’s literature – and constructs otherness by background, religion and nationality. The representation of own and foreign identities depends crucially on visual aspects. Nearly all the narrations show characters who represent own identities with blonde or red hair. Foreign identities are illustrated by figures with dark brown or black hair and a dark complexion. Although relatively few people are 20 Yu-Dembski 2016, n. pag., emphasis added. 21 See Van De Mieroop 2015, 412. Fig. 2: Spaces and settings in Yu-Dembski/ Leberer (illust.), Lili und das chinesische Früh­ lingsfest (n. pag.) © Carlsen Verlag GmbH, Hamburg 2011.