Intended Audience
The use of images of imperiled or deceased children in print media both offends and inspires, earning critique for exploitative insensitivity and plaudits for radical honesty. Whether positive or negative, such images are assumed to induce a reaction. But why? This talk takes a historical look at images of endangered children, from the current crisis in Ukraine to crises past, and uncovers the connection between our visual language of catastrophe and our modern conception of childhood. Julie deGraffenreid is associate professor of H\history at Baylor University and an expert on modern Russia, especially the history of childhood, visual culture, and childhood and war. Her book, "Sacrificing Childhood: Children and the Soviet State," won the 2015 Guittard Book Award for Historical Scholarship.