C J Jenkins (they/them) (QMUL) - 2019-20 Students
c.jenkins@qmul.ac.uk

In a room full of Batmans and Princesses, there is space to be a Cloud: Gender Diversity, Storytelling and Early Years Education

This research project responds to contemporary concerns of the exclusion and discrimination of gender non-conforming children in early years education and artistic practice.

Drawing on interdisciplinary theory from critical gender studies, applied and socially engaged theatre and education policy, this practice-based research project will develop a new mode of applied storytelling practice that allows for the exploration of diverse gender identities with early years and key stage one children (3 – 7 years old), alongside training for adult teachers and artists on creating spaces that enable children to express gender as fluid and multiple.

The project will generate a new repertoire of interactive stories alongside a critical mode of storytelling performance and workshop facilitation. This methodology will be developed based on findings from practice-based research in both primary schools and community contexts in the UK.

Primary supervisor: Professor Jen Harvie, QMUL