Integrative Model of Children’s Representations of God in Drawings

Pierre Yves Brandt*, Zhargalma Dandarova-Robert, Grégory Dessart, Hanneke Muthert, Hanneke Schaap-Jonker

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book / Report / Conference proceedingChapterAcademic

Abstract

When confronted with being asked to “draw god”, children have to solve a problem; they are being asked to produce a visual representation of an entity that they have never seen. Resources for solving this problem are available within the child’s cultural context: The shape of the figure itself may be based on various religious representations of gods, iconic figurations of supernatural agents in fictional artefacts (paintings, movies, cartoons even in advertisement), various valences may be attributed to colours or to different parts of an image composition, etc. The drawings produced by children depend also on their cognitive abilities to grasp the concept of god, their emotional abilities to express the accompanying feelings, their creativity and artistic skills. In representing god, children have to solve additional problems. For example, connotations of the concept of god can awaken attachment bonds to parental figures; religious prohibitions against representations of god can be in conflict with the task of drawing god. The purpose of this work is to integrate the results presented in parts II-V of this book, and to articulate the different factors in an integrated model that outlines possible strategies used to carry out the project of drawing god.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationWhen Children Draw Gods
Subtitle of host publicationA Multicultural and Interdisciplinary Approach to Children's Representations of Supernatural Agents
EditorsPierre-Yves Brandt, Zhargalma Dandarova-Robert, Christelle Cocco, Dominique Vinck, Frédéric Darbellay
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media B.V.
Pages15-42
Number of pages28
ISBN (Electronic)9783030944292
ISBN (Print)9783030944285, 9783030944315
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Publication series

NameNew Approaches to the Scientific Study of Religion
Volume12
ISSN (Print)2367-3494
ISSN (Electronic)2367-3508

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).

Funding

Acknowledgments This research was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), Grants Nr. CR11I1_156383 and IZSEZ0_180471.

FundersFunder number
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen ForschungCR11I1_156383, IZSEZ0_180471
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

    Keywords

    • Anthropomorphism
    • Child development
    • Cross-cultural
    • Drawings
    • Emotionality
    • Gender
    • God representations
    • Religious education
    • Socio-cultural influence
    • Visual research

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