Paper Short Abstract:

The presentation will examine the concept of a child-authored canon within the broader framework of evolving ethnographic research methodologies, centring on the active participation of children as co-authors of knowledge. Drawing on research conducted through surveys of primary and high school students in Białystok, the paper will examine children’s perceptions of child-authored literature, their understanding of narrative authority, their attitudes toward creating a child-authored literary canon, and their awareness of epistemic (in)justice. The paper will also introduce the theoretical framework of harpocratology to address these questions inspired by Nancy K. Miller’s feminist arachnology and critique of Barthes’ hypnology. Harpocratology emphasises the overreading of child-authored texts to uncover self-referential reflections on leadership, agency, and epistemic (in)justice. It advocates reimagining the literary canon to include child-authored texts as culturally and historically significant contributions.

Paper Abstract:

The presentation will examine the concept of a child-authored canon within the broader framework of evolving ethnographic research methodologies, centring on the active participation of children as co-authors of knowledge. Drawing on research conducted through surveys of primary and high school students in Białystok, the paper will examine children’s perceptions of child-authored literature, their understanding of narrative authority, their attitudes toward creating a child-authored literary canon, and their awareness of epistemic (in)justice. Survey findings reveal nuanced insights into how children engage with texts they generate, whether they desire recognition of these texts as part of a broader literary tradition, and the barriers they perceive to their inclusion.

By highlighting how children perceive and value their stories the paper addresses fundamental questions: Do children view their stories as deserving a place in the canon, and what factors shape this desire? What constitutes a child-authored canon, and how does it differ from adult interpretations of children's narratives? How do child-authored texts challenge traditional notions of literary canonicity? What methodological innovations are needed to confront the historical and cultural exclusion of child-generated narratives?

The paper will also introduce the theoretical framework of harpocratology to address these questions, inspired by Nancy K. Miller’s feminist arachnology and critique of Barthes’ hypnology. Harpocratology emphasises the overreading of child-authored texts to uncover self-referential reflections on leadership, agency, and epistemic (in)justice. It advocates reimagining the literary canon to include child-authored texts as culturally and historically significant contributions.