THEN AND NOW THE DEPICTION OF CHILDREN IN LAT’S COMIC THROUGH THE DECADES

Abstract

This study examines the evolving representation of children in Lat’s comics and how these representations reflect Malaysia’s socio-cultural transformation from the 1970s to the present. Drawing on Representational theory and the Social Construction of Childhood, it analyses how Lat captures the shift from rural, traditional lifestyles to urban, globalised contexts. A qualitative method is used to interview five children aged 6 to 12 about their responses to the representation of children in Lat’s comic Kampung Boy: Yesterday and Today (1993). The analysis focuses on both visual and narrative elements and explores recurring themes and representations of childhood experiences to understand how these representations reflect changes in Malaysian society. Three key aspects are examined: urbanisation versus rural experience, mixed awareness about traditional games, and differences in school culture. The results demonstrate significant differences between the children in Lat's comic and present-day children in their worldviews, daily activities, and influences. The differences indicate how children's roles change from an independent, communal existence in rural areas to a more controlled, technologically oriented lifestyle in the city. This research integrates media studies, cultural history, and literature, especially graphic novels, to explain childhood as a complex construct shaped by history, society, and culture.