In children’s literature and young adult fiction, relations between people as well as between human and non-human animals are often depicted. Animals can be main characters just like humans, and throughout history animals and children have been connected to one another and considered to mirror human experience from the outside.
Research about children’s literature shows an interest in acknowledging meetings between human and non-human animals in the literary worlds of children and young adults. These relations are meaningful when trying to interpret literary texts.
HARCHIL gathers researchers and students from different disciplines with an interest in human animal relations within children’s literature, as well as in films, art, games, fan fiction, fan art and exhibitions aimed at children. The purpose of the network is to pool knowledge from different subjects and research areas and open up for new and collaborative research initiatives where the perspectives of different disciplines are taken into consideration.