Childhood Identity Between the Cumulative Influence of the Western Image and the Specificity of Arab Reception Miraculous Series as a Case Study

Abstract

Today, Arab children are experiencing rapid changes as a result of media and digital openness. Their educational environment is no longer confined to family and school, but is increasingly influenced by a wide range of images and symbols from multiple cultures. In the absence of recreational activities that draw on the child’s intellectual and physical capacities — owing to parents’ preoccupations or a lack of outdoor spaces dedicated to channelling the child’s energies — the child spends most of their time moving between digital devices and exploring virtual worlds without ever truly leaving home.

This study is based on the hypothesis that cumulative exposure to cartoons in the absence of serious family support capable of developing children’s analytical and critical viewing skills may accelerate the adoption of foreign cultures that conflict with our religious beliefs and social customs.

 Problem Statement

The central issue of this research is guided by the following fundamental question: 

How is the identity of the Arab child constructed in light of the increasing number of hours spent watching cartoons, alongside a decline in religious commitment and family guidance?

Sub-questions: 

How does the child’s unconscious work during the act of watching?

How can the family provide a child with a proper religious, intellectual and cultural upbringing in the face of the dominance of visual media? 

Is it possible today to speak of audio-visual media that can support a sound Islamic education?

Hypothesis

The study assumes that every external input inconsistent with the child’s future values constitutes a threat to their identity, gradually erasing those values in the absence of mature awareness. Nevertheless, such inputs may permit the child to analyse and critique the information and filter it, thereby fostering their awareness and encouraging innovation rather than assimilation and dissolution into another culture.

Methodology

The study relies on a semiotic approach, analysing selected narrative sequences from the animated series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir to uncover implicit messages and latent structures that gradually influence the child recipient’s constants and beliefs.