The thesis explores the book as a medium of empowering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual young people (hereinafter: LGBTQIA+ youth) in socio-pedagogical work through the use of literature. The thesis is divided into two parts: a theoretical part and an empirical part. The theoretical part provides a comprehensive overview of the history of bibliotherapy, including a presentation of its forms and development over time. Special emphasis is placed on developmental bibliotherapy (also known as biblioprevention), which aims at the development and self-actualisation of the individual. This is placed in the context of one of the most important concepts in social pedagogy—the concept of user empowerment. The theoretical part concludes by defining the LGBTQIA+ youth group, outlining its basic characteristics, and reviewing international research on how the use of books contributes to the empowerment of people from marginalised groups and communities. This research provides a framework for the phenomenological study where a book circle was established to explore the individual and communal experiences of reading and discussing literature. Based on the findings of structured reflections and semi-structured interviews, the empirical part of the thesis examines the characteristics and different aspects of using books as a medium of empowerment. It also provides recommendations for employing bibliotherapy in socio-pedagogical work with LGBTQIA+ youth, who continue to experience marginalisation and stigmatisation in contemporary society due to their non-dominant sexual orientation or gender identity.
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