The dangers of reading globally

Abstract

This article is based on a keynote delivered at the 36th IBBY International Congress in Athens, Greece, on August 31, 2018. IBBY members are committed to the potentials offered by global literature for opening minds to multiple ways of living in the world and creating intercultural understanding. Asking readers to read outside their comfort zones, however, can instead hold danger and perpetuate stereotypes and misunderstandings. This article proposes that we can address these dangers through acting on our social responsibilities as bookmakers, readers, and educators to balance individual voice with group responsibility and to determine if our actions could cause harm to readers’ understandings of a culture.