ドクター・スース作品、人種差別描写の６作絶版へ

【ニューヨークＡＦＰ＝時事】世代を超えて親しまれてきた米絵本作家ドクター・スースの作品のうちの6作が、現代では人種差別的とみなされる描写があることから絶版が決まった。出版社のドクター・スース・エンタープライズが2日、発表した。（写真は書店に並ぶドクター・スースの書籍）
　絶版が決まったのは「Ｉｆ　Ｉ　Ｒａｎ　ｔｈｅ　Ｚｏｏ」や「Ｔｈｅ　Ｃａｔ’ｓ　Ｑｕｉｚｚｅｒ」、「Ａｎｄ　ｔｏ　Ｔｈｉｎｋ　Ｔｈａｔ　Ｉ　Ｓａｗ　Ｉｔ　ｏｎ　Ｍｕｌｂｅｒｒｙ　Ｓｔｒｅｅｔ」などで、作中には「日本人」や「アラブ人」とされる人物や、茶わんと箸を手にした「中国人の男の子」といったキャラクターが登場する。
　発表が行われた３月２日は、スースの誕生日だった。スースは本名をセオドア・スース・ガイゼルといい、１９０４年、米マサチューセッツ州で誕生。生涯で６０作以上の絵本を出版し、代表作の「キャットインザハット」、「グリンチ」、「緑色のたまごとハム」など、児童文学史に残る人気作品を世に送り出した。作品は数十言語に翻訳され、世界で６億５０００万部以上を売り上げている。
　だが米国では最近、スース作品の多くでマイノリティーの描き方に問題があるとの批判が高まっていた。２０１９年、学術誌「青少年文学における多様性研究」に発表された論文では、５０のスース作品を検証。登場する有色人種のキャラクター４５人のうち４３人にオリエンタリズム的な特徴があると結論したほか、スースが１９２０年代に反黒人・反ユダヤ人的な漫画を雑誌で発表したことや、第２次世界大戦中に日本人に対する差別的なプロパガンダを手掛けていたことも指摘された。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/03/03-13:36）

They are beloved by generations of early readers for their wacky rhyming tales and mischievous plotlines, but six Dr. Seuss books are being pulled because of imagery now considered racist.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises -- the publisher of the bestselling children's books -- announced Tuesday that it is taking the six titles, which include If I Ran the Zoo and The Cat's Quizzer, out of print.
The move comes as criticism grows in the United States over the way minority communities have been portrayed in many of his books.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises said it had made the decision after carrying out a review of its collection last year with the help of experts, including teachers.
These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong, the company said in a statement.
The other titles being consigned to history are And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, McElligot's Pool, On Beyond Zebra! and Scrambled Eggs Super!
Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises's catalog represents and supports all communities and families, the statement added.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises made the announcement on what would have been the birthday of the famous children's book author.
Seuss, born Theodor Seuss Geisel in Massachusetts in 1904, published more than 60 books during his lifetime, including some of the most popular children's books of all time.
His most famous works include The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Seuss's books have sold more than 650 million copies and have been translated into dozens of languages.
However, his books are being reevaluated over their portrayal of Black and Asian people.
A 2019 study published in the Research on Diversity in Youth Literature journal studied 50 of his books.
The report concluded that 43 of the 45 characters of color had characteristics aligning with the definition of Orientalism.
The two Black characters in the books were identified as African and both align with the theme of anti-Blackness, the study said.
Stereotypical characters portrayed as Arabian appear in If I Ran the Zoo, On Beyond Zebra! and Scrambled Eggs Super!
The Cat's Quizzer also features Arabian figures as well as a character portrayed as a Japanese.
And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, features a Chinese boy with a rice bowl and chopsticks.
The study also noted that Seuss published anti-Black and anti-Semitic cartoons in a magazine in the 1920s as well as racist anti-Japanese propaganda during World War II.
On Saturday, a school district in Virginia suggested it was moving away from Dr. Seuss books while not banning them completely.
Research in recent years has revealed strong racial undertones in many books written/illustrated by Dr. Seuss, Loudoun County Public Schools said.
In 2017, a school librarian in Cambridge Massachusetts said she would not accept a gift of ten Dr. Seuss books from then first lady Melania Trump because many of his books were steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes.