Exploring Identity and Multiliteracies through Graphic Narratives

Abstract

In a first-year, university-level communication course that examined issues of race, ethnicity, postcolonialism, diaspora, and coming-of-age using different points of view and modes of communication, students created graphic novel-style auto-ethnographies to reflect on their experiences with diaspora and identity creation. The assignment was an experiment in the use of a different pedagogical tool that pushed participants to move beyond the parameters of the traditional academic literacy afforded by a research essay. The themes of diaspora and coming-of-age were intended to speak to as many of the students as possible. For some, the two themes coincided, since several students were forced to grow up quickly when they immigrated to Canada as children or teens alone or with family. For instructors, these diverse experiences form the often invisible backdrop to any classroom.

Notes

¹ Here, diaspora is used broadly to refer to communities of cultural and ethnic groups living outside of their homelands.

² Texts included the early lyrics of Somali-Canadian rap artist K’naan; books by Canadian authors Nalo Hopkinson (Brown Girl in the Ring), Drew Hayden Taylor (The Night Wanderer: A Native Gothic Novel), and Dionne Brand (No Language Is Neutral); the graphic novel-style autobiography Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi; and films such as Bollywood/Hollywood (screenplay and directed by Indo-Canadian director Deepa Mehta) or My Beautiful Laundrette (screenplay by Hanif Kureishi and directed by Stephen Frears).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alyson E. King

Alyson E. King, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Community Development and Policy Studies Program, Faculty of Social Science & Humanities at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Canada. Her research is interdisciplinary and encompasses university student experiences, student persistence, academic integrity, and the impact of education on the quality of life of adults living with mental illness.