Rebecca Lindsay attends the IRSCL Congress 2017, University of York, Toronto

My paper at the IRSCL Congress 2017 was a success; the Postgraduate Research Fund helped me get there.

My trip to Canada to present at the International Research Society of Children’s Literature Congress 2017 was a great success: not only did the presentation of my paper go well, with one member of the audience saying it was an inspiration to her and how she thought of childhood, but I have learnt so much, and met such wonderful people. It was a fantastic opportunity for me to engage with the foremost research in the field – for both an intellectual and cultural exchange.
One of the cultural issues that was discussed throughout the conference, which was not only of such significance in Canada (and in their ‘150th birthday’ of being a nation) but also one that I had never heard of before was that of the ‘Residential Schools’ that ran from the late 19th century up until 1996. These schools took indigenous children from their families, denied them their language, and exposed them to widespread, systematic abuse, that the Truth and Reconciliation Report of 2015 described as a ‘cultural genocide’. As a central concept of my paper was an exploration of constructions of ‘normality’, it drove home the dangers of marginalisation and their ongoing impact, as well as the importance of work that challenges social and institutional assumptions.

This has been such an enriching experience for me; from everything I have learnt and shared, to the new friends I have made. This would not have been possible without the funding the School provided. I am incredibly grateful, and would like to take this opportunity to say thank you so much to the Department!