Master's Thesis Title: "Testimonies of Innocent Children in War: Visual Traumatic Narrative in Barefoot Gen and A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return"
Master's Thesis Title: "Testimonies of Innocent Children in War: Visual Traumatic Narrative in Barefoot Gen and A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return"
A Master’s thesis was defended at the Faculty of Linguistic Studies at the Arab Open University – Jordan, on Saturday, May 23, 2026, by student Rima Mustafa, specializing in English Literature. The thesis was titled: "Testimonies of Innocent Children in War: Visual Traumatic Narrative in Barefoot Gen and A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return."
The defense committee comprised the following distinguished members:
Dr. Amjad Al-Syouf – Primary Supervisor and Committee Chair
Dr. Ola Kattaneh – Internal Examiner
Dr. Akram Shalghin – External Examiner
The thesis explored the testimonies of innocent children in war through a comparative study of the graphic novels Barefoot Gen by Japanese author Keiji Nakazawa and A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave, To Return by Lebanese author Zeina Abirached. It highlighted the representation of trauma and war from a child's perspective, and the role of visual narrative in documenting painful human experiences and conveying their psychological and social impacts. Furthermore, the thesis examined the concepts of trauma, memory, and resistance by utilizing trauma theory, visual narrative theories, and postmodernism.
On this occasion, we highly commend the efforts of the thesis supervisor and express our profound appreciation to the esteemed members of the defense committee. The Arab Open University extends its warmest congratulations to student Rima Mustafa on this outstanding academic achievement, wishing her continued success and excellence in her academic and professional endeavors.
