Stories shape childhood imagination and cultural identity. Offering children narratives beyond traditional stereotypes expands their sense of possibility and challenges limiting beliefs. Biographies play a crucial role in this process, presenting real lives through which children can explore diverse roles and perspectives (Douglas, 2022). By including different female figures through time and spaces, such narratives create connections between past lives and young readers’ futures, fostering their imaginaries (Beauvais, 2020). Currently, various platforms target different themes in children’s literature: diversity, migration, disability, etc. Examples include Diverse BookFinder and the Cooperative Children’s Book Center. They demonstrate how narratives serve as vital forms of dissemination and support educators in daily practice. However, research proves that critical gaps remain in portraying female biographies for children (Malpezzi, 2023; Couceiro, 2022). This is the reason why, based on the BIBI project, we will discuss a platform functioning as accessible repository and educational toolkit. Beyond well-known figures like Frida Kahlo and Marie Curie, our platform will introduce a broader spectrum of women’s stories. The database will organise 100 biographical works across cultures, historical periods and 7 thematic categories (Politics-Activism, Science, Literature-Philosophy, Arts, Sports, Adventure, History-Memory). From Brazilian judoka Rafaela Silva to China’s emperor Wu Zetian, the platform gathers contents through an interactive cloud visualisation system. Therefore, educators can navigate it, modify archives, and utilise flexible filtering structures: featuring 300 female figures, resulting around 3100 possible intersections across contexts, continents and periods. This platform represents a strategic visual, literary and educational tool, which combines interconnected biographic nodes with multiple pedagogical possibilities.
Fostering Inclusive Childhood Imaginaries: A Digital Platform for Female Biography in Gender Education
chang li
2026
Abstract
Stories shape childhood imagination and cultural identity. Offering children narratives beyond traditional stereotypes expands their sense of possibility and challenges limiting beliefs. Biographies play a crucial role in this process, presenting real lives through which children can explore diverse roles and perspectives (Douglas, 2022). By including different female figures through time and spaces, such narratives create connections between past lives and young readers’ futures, fostering their imaginaries (Beauvais, 2020). Currently, various platforms target different themes in children’s literature: diversity, migration, disability, etc. Examples include Diverse BookFinder and the Cooperative Children’s Book Center. They demonstrate how narratives serve as vital forms of dissemination and support educators in daily practice. However, research proves that critical gaps remain in portraying female biographies for children (Malpezzi, 2023; Couceiro, 2022). This is the reason why, based on the BIBI project, we will discuss a platform functioning as accessible repository and educational toolkit. Beyond well-known figures like Frida Kahlo and Marie Curie, our platform will introduce a broader spectrum of women’s stories. The database will organise 100 biographical works across cultures, historical periods and 7 thematic categories (Politics-Activism, Science, Literature-Philosophy, Arts, Sports, Adventure, History-Memory). From Brazilian judoka Rafaela Silva to China’s emperor Wu Zetian, the platform gathers contents through an interactive cloud visualisation system. Therefore, educators can navigate it, modify archives, and utilise flexible filtering structures: featuring 300 female figures, resulting around 3100 possible intersections across contexts, continents and periods. This platform represents a strategic visual, literary and educational tool, which combines interconnected biographic nodes with multiple pedagogical possibilities.
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