Year of Graduation
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MA: Children's Literature
Directing Professor
Dr. Lara Saguisag
Abstract
This paper examines how two Philippine children's books depict state surveillance and its effects on a child's perspective of family, authority figures, and childhood. Through analysis of Augie Rivera's Isang Harding Papel and Sandra Nicole Roldan's At the School Gate, this project makes a connection between children's literature and surveillance studies, offering new framework to engage with children’s literature depicting authoritarian regimes and state violence, especially in cases where children were targets of their governments. Each book is examined by their representations of state surveillance during the Martial Law era of the Philippines, as well as each characters’ individual ways of resistance towards their surveillance. Drawing from principles of surveillance studies, a thorough analysis of these depictions reveals the techniques used by both authors and illustrators of the books to convey the collective traumas of dictatorship to young audiences. This thesis delves into the intersection of three different fields of study— critical Filipino studies, children’s literature studies, and surveillance studies—providing a new critical lens onto Martial Law children’s literature and its potential to inform readers of anti-surveillance resistance methods amidst the growing institutional and authoritarian surveillance infiltrations on the day to day lives of children.
Recommended Citation
Balolong, Krisna Marie T., "Children Past Curfew: Surveillance, Resistance, and Childhood in Philippine Martial Law Children's Literature" (2026). Children's Literature (MA) Theses, Hollins University. 11.
https://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/matheses/11
Contact Information
krisnabalolong@gmail.com
Purpose Statement
The purpose of preserving this thesis document is to provide a definitive record of student progress upon completion of the degree. This text will not reflect any revisions to the manuscript made after degree completion. For the most current version of the work, please contact its author.
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