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In: 2016, Calls for Papers, mla

The 2014 edited collection Contemporary Latina-o Media included no essays on comics. This is not, perhaps, surprising; at present, comics remain marginalized in ways that keep the medium from being as central to cultural and political exchange as print literature, film, television and radio are. However, this very condition makes comics, as a field perpetually “coming of age” yet forever on the margins, productive for thinking about the contemporary disposition of Latina/o culture and politics. The Discussion Group on Comics and Graphic Narratives and the Division on Comparative Studies in Twentieth Century Literature therefore invite papers that explore connections between the medium of comics andRead More →

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In: 2016, Calls for Papers, mla

Charlie-Hebdo and its Publics Ever since the tragic murders of staff members of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, there have been heated discussions in the public sphere regarding free speech, religious expression, and the power of satire. Reactions have differed dramatically among national and social groups, East and West. These varied discourses are amplified by the globalization and the internet, and raise questions about how images can or cannot circulate within specific national or religious contexts. For the 2016 MLA theme “Literature and its Publics,” this panel seeks contributions that examine the Charlie Hebdo in the context of different traditions of editorial cartooning, and fromRead More →

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In: 2015, Other Comics Events @ MLA

Besides the three events—the “Immigration and Comics” panel, the “Comics Theory Roundtable” and the cash bar—sponsored or co-sponsored by our Discussion Group, MLA 2015 in Vancouver will host other sessions devoted to comics or graphic narratives, as well as a number of individual papers that, as far as we are able to tell from the program, connect to the comics studies field. Please find these sessions listed below.   Enjoy! The Graphic South (session 35) Thursday, 8 January, 12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., 114, VCC West  Program arranged by the Discussion Group on Southern Literature Presiding: Katherine Renee Henninger, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge   “The Contested Topography of the ReconstructedRead More →

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In: 2015, News

 Come one, Come all! Our Official Saturday night social event for the MLA 2015 Convention in Vancouver will be held Saturday, 10 January, 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm, in 122 VCC West. We look forward to seeing many of you there. Please join us!    Read More →

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In: 2015, News

This is the second of our three official events at the next MLA convention, to be held in Vancouver, Thursday through Sunday, 8-11 January 2015:   720. Comics Theory Roundtable __________________________________________________________________________________________ Sunday, 11 January 12:00 noon–1:15 p.m., West 214, VCC West Program arranged by the Discussion Group on Comics and Graphic Narratives Presiding: Martha B. Kuhlman, Bryant Univ. Speakers: Michael A. Chaney, Dartmouth Coll.; Hugo Frey, Univ. of Chichester; Jared Gardner, Ohio State Univ., Columbus; Fabrice Leroy, Univ. of Louisiana, Lafayette; Barbara Postema, Ryerson Polytechnic Univ. This roundtable analyzes interdisciplinary approaches to studying comics. Comics theory includes semiotics, film theory, linguistics, visual studies, and narrativeRead More →

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In: 2015, News

This is the first of our three official events at the next MLA convention, to be held in Vancouver, Thursday through Sunday, 8-11 January 2015: Session 624. Immigration and Comics __________________________________________________________________________________________ Saturday, 10 January 5:15–6:30 p.m., East 16, VCC East Program arranged by the Discussion Group on Comics and Graphic Narratives and the Division on European Literary Relations Presiding: Sandra L. Bermann, Princeton Univ.; Nhora Lucia Serrano, Harvard Univ. 1. “‘Home of the Cannibals’: Interracial Contact and Immigration in Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth,” Tim Caron, California State Univ., Long Beach 2. “Aya in the Ivory Coast and Abouet in France:Read More →

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In: 2015

Roundtable Session at the Modern Language Association (MLA) Annual Convention, 8-11 Jan. 2015, in Vancouver. Sponsored by the MLA Discussion Group on Comics and Graphic Narratives. In the past three years, a number of new books have been published on comics theory (Postema, Miodrag, Kukkonen, among others). In order to get a better perspective on what is happening in the field, this roundtable has assembled a group of scholars who take different approaches to understanding the comics form. Some of the questions that the roundtable will consider: * What are the relative merits and drawbacks of some theoretical approaches to comics (i.e. semiotics, film theory,Read More →

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In: 2015, Calls for Papers

Call for Papers for a proposed panel at the Modern Language Association (MLA) Annual Convention, 8-11 Jan. 2015, in Vancouver. Jointly sponsored by the MLA Division on European Literary Relations and the MLA Discussion Group on Comics and Graphic Narratives. Recently, the Cité Nationale de l’Histoire de l’Immigration in Paris staged an exhibition “Albums-Bande dessinée et immigration: 1913-2013” (October 16, 2013 – April 27, 2014) which brought together comics sketches and magazines from 1913 to the present that depict the immigrant experience and how immigrants on the fringes of society are attracted to the comics medium.  According to the exhibit’s Curator Hélène Bouillon, “every comicRead More →

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In: 2015, Calls for Papers

Call for Papers for a proposed panel at the Modern Language Association (MLA) Annual Convention, 8-11 Jan. 2015, in Vancouver. Sponsored by the MLA Discussion Group on Comics and Graphic Narratives The subject of memory has been central to comics studies.  From Maus and Fun Home to Crisis on Infinite Earths, the capacity of comics to figure and encapsulate the past, whether personal, cultural or historical, has remained a matter of intense critical interest.  We invite all inquiries into the topic of comics and memory, from ongoing discussions of graphic memoirs and mainstream superhero comics to fresh work on any aspect of the medium, orRead More →

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In: 2014, Social Events

MLA Comics Reception Chicago Comics Saturday, Jan. 11th, at 7:30 p.m. 3244 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60657 We are delighted to announce that Chicago Comics—one of the Windy City’s oldest comics shops, and one of the country’s most respected—will be hosting our Group, and indeed anyone from MLA with an interest in comics, at a reception this Saturday, Jan. 11th, starting at 7:30 p.m.! That’s right—an informal get-together, with drinks and snacks, just for comics scholars at the MLA, hosted by Chicago Comics. Comics creators from the Chicago area will be on hand to mix and mingle and talk about their work! Do come.Read More →