Sketch that story and make it popular

Using graphic narratives in feminist activism against gender-based violence

Dr Nicoletta Mandolini (FCT Researcher at CECS, Universidade do Minho)

This research project aims at investigating the role played by graphic narratives in the popularisation of feminist stances on gendered abuse, with specific focus on Italy and the Lusophone context. The project, funded by the FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnología), is built around the hypothesis that graphic novels and comics represent a crucial resource in the area of art-activism against sexist violence, given their ability to use the cross-discursive system of words and images to convey complex narrative structures while, at the same time, remaining accessible to a wide audience.

“The groove is so mysterious. We're born with it and we lose it and the world seems to split apart before our eyes into stupid and cool. When we get it back, the world unifies around us, and both stupid and cool fall away.
I am grateful to those who are keepers of the groove. The babies and the grandmas who hang on to it and help us remember when we forget that any kind of dancing is better than no dancing at all”