Personal Introduction
Chang

Chang Hasheminezhad-Li (Chang Li) is a fully funded PhD researcher at the University of Padua. His doctoral project develops a critical perspective on the conceptualisation of hope within picturebooks originating from European borderlands over the last decade. Specifically, this research explores how uncertainty is manifested in these picturebooks. This includes representations of war and conflict, as well as ecological crises and gender narratives. A key focus is placed on the negotiation of child agency within these narratives.

He is an Erasmus scholar. He holds an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Children's Literature, Media and Culture (CLMCE), as well as an M.Litt in Fantasy Literature from the University of Glasgow. His international academic trajectory includes scholarly engagements in China, Scotland, Denmark, Poland, and Italy. His scholarly potential has been recognized by the International Youth Library, where he received a research fellowship for the year 2026.

He is also an Arqus University Alliance Ambassador at the University of Padua. He was awarded a 2025 Arqus grant for his empirical research concerning picturebooks and democratic narrative training across Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine.

Publications

Hasheminezhad-Li, C. (2026). Landscapes of Harm: Environmental Crime and the Passive Witness in Children's Graphic Narratives. Encyclopaideia, 30(74). DOI: 10.60923/issn.1825-8670/23404.

Hasheminezhad-Li, C. (2026). Unheard Voices in the Dissonant Diaspora: Youth from Aggressor States Negotiating Identity Through Picturebooks. Lifelong Lifewide Learning, 24(48), pp. 22–33. DOI: 10.19241/lll.v24i48.1098.

Hasheminezhad-Li, C. (2025). Post-apocalyptic Narratives for Climate Change Education. Climate Literacy in Education, 3(3). DOI: 10.24926/cle.v3i3.7010.

Campagnaro, M. and Li, C. (2025). BIBI Puzzle Cards e Visual Frames. Visual Literacy e ricostruzioni biografiche in gioco. In M. Campagnaro and L. Ferrari (Eds.), BIBI Research Handbook: Biografie e Bioficion d'Infanzia. Fondamenti, ricerca e intervento educativo, pp. 97–111. Cagli: Settenove S.r.l. ISBN 9791281477155.

Participation at Conferences / Seminars

Young People's Voices and Freedom of Expression International Conference. Am I a Voice or a Traitor? Dialogues with Youth from Aggressor States. University of Malta, Valletta, February 5th–7th 2026.

Eating Indoors and Outdoors in Children's Literature International Conference. The Taste of Authoritarian: Food Spaces as Sites of Control and Resistance in Picturebooks. Ca' Foscari University of Venice, November 27th–28th 2025.

The Student Engagement Team (SET) Europe Webinar. Student mobility and exchange experiences within Arqus and Erasmus frameworks (Invited Speaker). Online, October 2025.

IBBY Asia Pacific Regional Conference. The Potential of Post-Apocalyptic Literature as a Vehicle for Youth Engagement in Ecological Transformation. Suwon, August 30th–31st 2025.

The Arqus Student Lab. Transformative Learning for Sustainability Seminar (Organiser). Vilnius University, July 2nd–3rd 2025.

10th New Directions in Children's Literature Research Conference "Rolling Words" (Organising Committee). University of Padova, March 27th–28th 2025.

Abstract: PhD Project

This doctoral research explores the mechanisms of hope construction in European picturebooks published within border nations during the 2015 to 2025 geopolitical crisis trajectory. The study aims to develop and validate a theoretical model explaining how multimodal texts function as cultural resources for uncertainty navigation helping young readers build agency amidst ecological and social instability. Using a mixed methods exploratory sequential design, Phase I establishes the Four Ps Framework by synthesising Philosophy, Psychology, Pedagogy and Politics to identify narrative and visual patterns across a corpus of 120 texts via critical content analysis and computational digital humanities tools. Subsequently, Phase II validates these theoretical findings through phenomenographic interviews with educators to assess the practical applicability of these texts in learning environments. Grounded in multimodal analysis and interdisciplinary hope theory, this research seeks to advance evidence-based understanding of how children's literature fosters resilience in conflict-affected regions. Data collection is currently in the initial stages hence the specific findings remain tentative.

Keywords: Hope, Picturebook, Ideology

Supervisor: Prof. Marnie Campagnaro; Prof. Kate Douglas (Flinders University)