The accusation that youth would be lacking values and virtues may be as old as society itself.
A reactionary statement raised to preserve traditions and practices invented in times long overcome. To persist on those means to ignore the fact that time is moving and realities change.
Do we still want to stick with these old tales of infinite growth, technological salvation and equal chance for anybody to make their fortune, as long as they really try? Proven wrong so many times, prophecies that never fulfilled. Would we not need new ones, better explanations of what is and new imaginations of what could be? If these exist, where are they? And if not, who will find, write down, tell or draw them?
The S. A. N. C. L. sees its purpose in examining if this generation is capable of presenting posterity with a set of stories that truly make sense and are not corrupted by meritocracy or individualism. Passing on narrations which go beyond the ideoligies of neoliberal late capitalism and help to change humanity towards a more harmonious relationship among each other ant the rest of this planet.
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Foreword
As learning to read plays an important role in the initialisation processes of postmodern societies, children’s literature sets the trace for socialisation and early moral development.
For being able to thoroughly change the intolerable status quo* we want to provide alternative and subversive narrations that offer young people a more holistic perspective onto this world, that encourage an balanced mode of living, raise curiosity and interest for diversity and a mindset that reprieves play and idle from its negative connotation.
Consequently humanity will arrive at resonance in spite of egocentric individualism and find its way back to serendipity within the process of evolution instead of enacting displacement activities leading to even urgent trouble.
S.A.N.C.L
The society for alternative narratives in children’s literature is an fictional organisation with an interest in finding, collecting and producing stories and images, still or moving, written or told, that challenge and open the minds of younger people and provide them with disruptive and subversive nourishing grounds for thought and reflexion that crosses the boundaries of our current society.
De-Claration of Fairtales
Of course the question what has to be changed can and should not be answered by only a few. Nonetheless the S.A.N.C.L wanted to make a start. Here should be mentioned, that our organisation holds a rather progressive or avantgardistic perspective that might disturb members of rather conservative or traditional milieus. We are well aware of that, but believe it necessary, taken in consideration that the mainstream is so entangled in an oppressing and corrupted system, that ist is simply not possible to realise its situation. Yes, what we want is a revolution. But when we think of this word, we do not picture thrown bricks or the dark shadow of the guillotine. We see it more in its original astronomical sense: We want to continue revolving around the sun in celestial space and preferably on a sane and flourishing spaceship earth, wo_manned with a happy and healthy crew.
What do you think?
Some concrete ideas and instructions, we have formulated in our manifest. It might not be of eternal validity and is therefor set in pixels, not in stone.
So please read and help us to shape it.
On a word, please
We are always up for a good conversation and believe it an excellent way to learn and progress. So we are constantly on the search for interesting people from the fields of education, book trading, writing and the library sector.
Take a read on what we have got so far....
After all, we're not alone
Of course we are not the only one reflecting and raising concerns about children literature. We enlisted some more institutions whose intentions resemble, overlap or complement ours.
Temporarily our society focuses on the german speaking literature world, due to limited personel resources. But we would happily extend it towards a more global perspective. If in any case the current reader of these lines has certain expertise in this field, we would be pleasured if he contacted our organisation to exchange his or her knowledge with us.
let us take a look at them...
Our library of fairtales
In this online catalogue we feature a carefully chosen selection of children literature we consider of great value or importance. Books that look beyond our own noses, cross some borders and swim against the stream. Here you may find inspiration or orientation within the inscrutable jungle of publishing.
leaf through it...
