Sketch That Story and Make It Popular. Using Graphic Narratives in Feminist Activism Against Gender-Based-Violence

With the new millennium, gender-based violence (GBV) has entered Italian mainstream discourse. Notwithstanding the visibility achieved, activists have denounced the simplification of feminist stances against GBV promoted by mainstream media. These have been accused of re-objectifying the victims, justifying perpetrators and confirming stereotypes. As a result of a growing awareness of the risks connected to the popularisation of the GBV debate, artists and activists have started to challenge the simplification of media discourse by proposing representations of GBV through graphic narratives (graphic novels and comics).  As scholars have pointed out, the combination of text and image can convey complex narrative structures and ideas while being accessible to a wide audience, as demonstrated by the increasing relevance assigned to graphic narratives both in academic research and among readers. Looking at Italian graphic novels in their traditional format as well as at the use of comics and vignettes in awareness-raising campaigns, this project investigates the role that graphic narratives play in Italian feminist activism against GBV. Are they able to offer an ethical representation while remaining popular? How do they enhance the reader’s identification? How do they interact with other media (literature, tv series, board-games etc.) in order to propose representations of GBV that overcome the limits of the single narrative engaging the reader in a much broader experience?