Migration, image, and identity in Eloísa y los bichos (2009), by Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng

Authors

Keywords: Migración, imagen, escuela, identidad, libro álbum

Abstract

The present article analyzes the picturebook Eloísa y los bichos (2009), by Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng, from a contestatory perspective that articulates text and image to examine the migratory experience. The protagonist arrives in a city inhabited by giant «bugs», and the study explores the construction of migrant identity in tension with the gaze of others, in everyday spaces such as school, the street, and home. The work addresses the political and symbolic potential of the picture book, emphasizing the visuality in the representation of estrangement and otherness, dimensions that have received little attention from specialized criticism. To this end, the contributions of Bhabha (2002) on the «in-between», Cooley (2005) on the «looking-glass self», Freire (1996, 1997) on identity and education, and Nikolajeva and Scott (2000, 2013) on the interaction between text and image are integrated. It is concluded that the visuality of the «bugs», and the mediation of the school and everyday spaces, represent the identity transition of the migrant girl, who moves from estrangement to belonging constructed through contact with written culture and integration into the community, resulting in a non-fixed identity.

Keywords: Migration; image; school; identity; picturebook.

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Author Biographies

MARIANA XIMENA VEGA LEZCANO, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL FEDERICO VILLARREAL

Graduate in Literature from the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal. Researcher with articles published in indexed academic journals. Literature teacher at the secondary level at Colegios Trilce. She works as a reading mediator and as a manager of educational, cultural, and reading promotion projects. She is also a copy editor at Colmena Editores and Kuyay Editores.

ALEJANDRA ROMI VARGAS ROJAS, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL FEDERICO VILLARREAL

Fifth-year Literature student at the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal. She has completed studies in drawing and painting at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Bellas Artes del Perú and holds a Diploma in Text Editing from the Academia Peruana de la Lengua. Her research lines focus on the body and memory, as well as gender studies, sexuality, and hegemonic power dynamics. She is a member of the Latin American Literature Research Circle «Oswaldo Reynoso» (CILLOR) and co-director of the research group and journal «Hijas de Venus». She also works as a cultural manager in various activities related to literature and the arts.

JULIO RODOLFO MARTÍNEZ QUISÑAY, UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL FEDERICO VILLARREAL

Julio Rodolfo Martínez Quisñay holds a PhD in Education from Universidad César Vallejo, a Master’s degree in Public Management, and a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal. He is a researcher and university lecturer at the Faculty of Humanities of the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, with experience in academic coordination, editing, and copyediting.

References

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Published
31-07-2026
How to Cite
LOZANO MEJÍA, H. J., VEGA LEZCANO, M. X., VARGAS ROJAS, A. R., & MARTÍNEZ QUISÑAY, J. R. (2026). Migration, image, and identity in Eloísa y los bichos (2009), by Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng. Arte Y Políticas De Identidad, 35, 131–150. Retrieved from https://revistas.um.es/reapi/article/view/703661
Issue
Vol. 35 (2026): Visualidades y narrativas contestatarias: tecnologías disidentes, ecologías críticas y políticas de la imagen
Section
Articles

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