ABSTRACT
We have seen many examples and portrayals of child governance in children’s texts explored in this book. Sometimes children rule in a fantasy world inhabited by talking animals, feeling toys, or other liminal characters. Sometimes they rule in an alternative world or a secondary universe-as Auden and Tolkien term it-run by codes and rules completely different from those of the real world. In some instances, the rules are symbolically or allegorically reminiscent of those in the real world. These spaces of children ruling take the form of self-enclosed spaces free from adults, or they may require an expulsion of parental authorities. Despite the diverse forms, these worlds-assuming and emphasizing spatial boundaries (urban/rural, public/ domestic, regional/global, and realistic/fantastic)—provide a geographical backdrop to the child ruler. With these facts as a point of departure, some questions arise: What kind of world can children create when they are away from the dominant influence of adult society? How can they freely use their potential to play with social settings and prescriptions? To what extent can a child ruler renavigate the landscape of power or reposit issues of agency with regard to children and nonhuman others?
