The role of child literature in intercultural communication

Globalisation and wars have increased the interaction between different cultures, and it has become inevitable for individuals to communicate with people from different cultures outside their own cultural environment. In this respect, intercultural communication is of great importance for individuals to develop mutual understanding, respect and empathy. In order for this process to progress in a healthy manner, For this process to progress in a healthy manner, it is necessary to establish an intercultural communication awareness that is open to dialogue and egalitarian, as well as sensitivity to diversity within society. Children are positioned as powerful mediators and builders between society and the future in this creative process. Children's literature, beyond being a linguistic or aesthetic tool, plays an important role between society and children in terms of transmitting cultural values and understanding differences. Children's literature is an effective narrative space for children's empathy development, their perception of the world, and the formation of their identities. Works written in this field offer children the opportunity to discover not only the values of their own society, but also the perspectives of different cultures. Works that address issues such as migration, multiculturalism, identity, belonging, discrimination, Works that address topics such as migration, multiculturalism, identity, belonging, discrimination, and othering can enable children to connect with different cultures and develop intercultural communication skills. In this regard, children's literature can be seen as a pedagogical, communicative and ideological tool in laying the foundations of intercultural understanding at both the individual and societal levels. This study examines the role of children's literature in the context of intercultural communication and evaluates how cultural awareness is created through elements such as characters, themes, narrative styles, and value transmission presented in children's books In the research, examples from local and foreign children's literature works are used to critically examine the communication space provided by literary narration through cultural representation, employing a content analysis within a qualitative research design. Within this scope, the critical approaches to intercultural communication, the pedagogical and cultural criticism theories of children's literature, and the theories of sociology on the social construction of reality are used to establish a theoretical bridge between children's literature studies, with the aim of conducting an interdisciplinary evaluation. The main objective of this study is to reveal the role of children's literature in intercultural communication and to critically evaluate the potential contribution of literary works in this field to children's intercultural communication competence and awareness. In this study, it has been determined that children's literature is used as a constructive tool within the framework of intercultural sensitivity and othering, and that books are a product of adult concerns and political correctness rather than children's needs. It is expected that the thesis will make an original contribution to the literature on intercultural communication and children's literature. Keywords: Childhood, children's literature, cross-cultural communication, othering, the social construction of reality.