Semester of Graduation
Fall 2023
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Geography and Anthropology
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
This thesis explores how queer comics create spaces and places of belonging for the LGBTQIA+ community. Queer comics occupy a complex and liminal space. This thesis considers three different types of comics commonly theorized as separate: the embodied, digital, and the literary. It is the tension between the physical nature paired with the intangible nature of the worlds created in these stories that makes them a perfect place for building spaces that are queer, safe, and interactive for queer and non-queer readers alike. This is the case with print comics and graphic novels, as well as digital comics and webcomics.
These comics can provide a sense of community, safety, and visibility without the potential danger of choosing to “out” oneself to another person. These concepts are explored through the close reading and thematic analysis of three case studies: User, For the Love of God Marie, and The Deserter’s Masquerade. All three works embody historic queer settings that can no longer be accessed, and thus build queer history for their readers, allowing queer existence to be seen across several social contexts, times, and countries.
Date
11-2-2023
Recommended Citation
Payne, Victoria, "GRAPHIC IDENTITIES: CREATING PLACES FOR QUEER BELONGING THROUGH COMICS" (2023). LSU Master's Theses. 5867.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/5867
Committee Chair
Regis, Helen
Included in
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons