Comics and Memory in Latin America

This volume makes an exciting contribution to memory studies in Latin America, while responding to a growing interest in graphic fiction from the region. Its geographical scope is admirably broad, and the editors have done an excellent job of bringing together a very diverse set of discussions on the role of comics in politics and memory.
Joanna Page, University of Cambridge

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Latin American comics and graphic novels have a unique history of addressing controversial political, cultural, and social issues. This volume presents new perspectives on how comics on and from Latin America both view and express memory formation on major historical events and processes. The contributors, from a variety of disciplines including literary theory, cultural studies, and history, explore topics including national identity construction, narratives of resistance to colonialism and imperialism, the construction of revolutionary traditions, and the legacies of authoritarianism and political violence. The chapters offer a background history of comics and graphic novels in the region, and survey a range of countries and artists such as Joaquín Salvador Lavado (a.k.a Quino), Héctor G. Oesterheld, and Juan Acevedo. They also highlight the unique ability of this art and literary form to succinctly render memory. In sum, this volume offers in-depth analysis of an understudied, yet key literary genre in Latin American memory studies and documents the essential role of comics during the transition from dictatorship to democracy.

about the editors

Jorge Catalá Carrasco

Jorge Catala Carrasco is senior lecturer in Hispanic Studies at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom.

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Jorge Catalá Carrasco
Paulo Drinot

Paulo Drinot is senior lecturer in Latin American History at the Institute of the Americas, University College London.

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Paulo Drinot
James Scorer

James Scorer is a lecturer in Latin American Cultural Studies at the University of Manchester.

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James Scorer