An Amalgam of Voices
A Prismatic Approach to Memory and History in Gipi's Graphic Novels
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Abstract
The contemporary Italian comics artist and author Gipi offers us a narrative approach that speaks to, and for, the twenty-first century. He uses a multi-planed presentation of events that allows for memory and history to be pluri-temporal and pluri-vocal. Gipi's storytelling navigates a path through micro-histories and history, as he effectively reinserts individual memories and experiences into our continual recreation and reinterpretation of the past. His technique brings together an amalgam of voices and perspectives, real and imagined, that remain distinct yet melded together in his reconstruction and retelling of events. Ultimately, it responds to the question of how we can reimagine and recount history, and comments on the ethical implications of our involvement in the making of history.
Contributor Notes
Cara Takakjian received her PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University. She is currently a Senior Lecturer and the Director of Undergraduate Programming and Chief Academic Advisor of Italian Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research and teaching interests include Italian comics and visual culture, contemporary Italian youth and pop culture, and issues of race and racism in literature, film and visual culture. Her recent works engage with topics such as service learning and pedagogy, diversity and inclusion in teaching, Italian comics and graphic novels, and contemporary Italian film and literature. E-mail ctakakjian@umass.edu. ORCID: