Memory and self-writing

comics give voice to women

Abstract

This proposal aims to analyze Comics as a locus of memory and self-writing. We understand that comics can be utilized as places of memory, a concept drawn from Pierre Nora (1993), encompassing both collective and individual memory. We can affirm that comics appropriate memory and contribute to the construction of history. Comics can also serve as a space for denunciation and a call for justice, thus acquiring a social function, represented here by the concept of the duty of memory. Specifically, we examine two publications by South Korean author Keum Suk Gendry-Kim: Grass (2020) and The Waiting (2021). In these two works, the author gives voice to women who share their real-life experiences concerning two events: World War II and the Korean War. Simultaneously, the author participates in the narrative and adds her own experience to the testimonies collected for the creation of the works. This represents the search for women's memory through both oral (oral testimonies) and written forms. Finally, we draw on the works of Michelle Perrot (2007) and Pierre Nora (1993), among other authors, to address the issues of memory and women’s history.