Turkey and Islam Drawings by Second-Generation Turkish Children in Nottingham

In this study, it is examined how children between the ages of 6 and 11, living in Nottingham, England, understand the facts of religion and homeland through Turkey and Islam in their drawings. Art-based research method and semiotic method were used in the research. In drawings, the values, symbols, and concepts that children link with Turkey and Islam and the effect of the Turkish Language and Turkish Culture (TLTC) textbooks presented in the Turkish weekend school on this link were analyzed. 14 girl and 16 boy students participated in the study. The first of the drawings was obtained in 2017 within the scope of the researcher's doctoral study, the second one was obtained in 2021. The drawings of 8 children in 2017 and 18 children in 2021 were evaluated. In the end of the research, iIt was observed that by the age the number of the signs and symbols and clarity of the drawings increased. However, there was a differentiation in the signs, symbols, and intensities reflected in the drawings based on year, gender, and age. Yet it was pointed out that Turkey was mostly associated with the flag, and Islam with mosque. The images and embedded videos used in the textbooks may have played a role in emphasizing on these elements. It was determined that the themes reflected in the drawings show parallelism with the subjects in the TLTC program and textbooks. In particular, the content on the themes of the Gateway to the past, Let's go see it, Holidays and Celebrations contribute to the strengthening of the connection with the elements of cultural and religious identity, which are also seen in the pictures.Despite of positive emotions related to Turkey and Islam, negative emotions such as fear and separation were brought up in the drawings of the boys. This situation may be a result of the developmental characteristics of 6–11-year-old boys, as well as the stimuli exposed at the time of drawings and themes such as Gateway to the past focusing on history may have shaped the children's perception.