Chang Li
You can call me Chang Hasheminezhad-Li, or simply Chang Li. The former is my name after marriage, but I am technically still in the process of legalisation. You know, the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly.
Assigned Curriculum: Research on Inclusion, Well-being and Sustainability in Education
Personal Introduction and research interests:
PhD Researcher at the University of Padova starting November 2024 (Cycle XL). Originally from China, I possess a transnational academic profile shaped by extensive mobility across the UK, Denmark, and Poland.
I am a specialist in Children’s Literature and Multimodal Analysis holding an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master in Children’s Literature, Media and Culture alongside an M.Litt in Fantasy Literature from the University of Glasgow.
My doctoral research investigates European picturebooks published in border nations during the 2015 to 2025 geopolitical crisis trajectory. I explore how these texts function as cultural resources for uncertainty navigation by helping young readers construct agency amidst instability. To operationalise this, I am developing the Four Ps Framework which synthesises Philosophy, Psychology, Pedagogy, and Politics into a cohesive reading strategy. This interdisciplinary model transforms abstract concepts of hope into measurable literary phenomena. Furthermore, I integrate Digital Humanities and computational methods to validate these patterns, aiming to provide evidence-based strategies for educators using visual narratives in conflict-affected contexts.
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.
3 key words identifying the PhD project: Hope construction, Multimodal analysis, Picturebook
Supervisor: Prof. Marnie Campagnaro
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 and Facilitator). Vilnius University, July 2nd-3rd 2025.
Arqus Annual Conference. Ecological Resilience in Education Seminar (Co-organiser). Leipzig University, April 2nd-4th 2025.
10th New Directions in Children's Literature Research Conference "Rolling Words". (Organising Committee). University of Padova, March 27th-28th 2025.
Publications:
Campagnaro, M. and Li, C. (2025). BIBI Puzzle Cards e Visual Frames. Visual Literacy e ricostruzioni biografiche in gioco. In BIBI Research Handbook: Biografie e Bioficion d'Infanzia. Fondamenti, ricerca e intervento educativo. Cagli: Settenove S.r.l., pp 97-111. ISBN 9791281477155.
Hasheminezhad-Li, C. (2025). Post-apocalyptic Narratives for Climate Change Education. Climate Literacy in Education, 3(3). DOI 10.24926/cle.v3i3.7010.
Li, C. (2023). Reshaping the Balance: How Gilman Critiques and Constructs a Feminist Utopia in Herland. Nesir: Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi, 3, pp 75-88.
Li, C. (Under review). A Criminal Anthropocene: Children as Passive Witnesses in Simon Stålenhag's Crime Narratives. Bookbird: A Journal of International Children's Literature.