Introduction: Perceptions, Reflections, and Conceptualisations of War and Peace in Children’s Drawings

Abstract

In this editorial, we introduce the focus of this thematic issue and its contributions. Addressing the themes of “war” and “peace” and their impacts on children requires contextualization within socio‐historical, socio‐cultural, socio‐psychological, and educational frameworks. Equally, it is essential to tackle the methodological challenges inherent in this field of empirical research. The rise of child‐centred and participatory approaches over recent decades—emphasizing children as active agents—has enriched the research landscape, offering a counterbalance to the quantitative and developmental psychological traditions. Yet, as the contributions demonstrate, there is no methodological “gold standard” for this field. Rather, the topic’s complexity calls for a diverse array of approaches and perspectives, including those that push beyond conventional academic frameworks and methods.

Keywords

• children’s discursive conceptualisations
• children’s drawings
• children’s multimodal meaning‐making
• children’s perspectives
• education
• methodological challenges
• multimodality
• peace
• visual communication
• war