Research in the Teaching of English May 2022

“Swirling a Million Feelings into One”: Working-Through Critical and Affective Responses to the Holocaust through Comics

Rob Simon University of Toronto ; Ben Gallagher University of Toronto ; Ty Walkland University of Toronto

Abstract

Drawing on perspectives from cultural studies, affect theory, and critical literacy, this article explores comics made by three eighth-grade students in response to Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust memoir Maus. Students’ comics were developed through participatory research alongside their classroom teacher, a research team, and teacher candidates from a local university. These three students, Stella, Maisie, and Naomi, reacted strongly to the content of Maus and the comics medium, and raised questions around identity, representation, and the legibility of their often-intense emotional responses. We trace their affective engagements to explore how comic-making allowed students to represent feelings that are often difficult to make visible in school spaces. Our analysis highlights how affective critical literacy orients teaching and research toward working-through rather than resolving complicated emotions, allowing educators to recognize unanswered questions as forms of critical engagement.

Journal
Research in the Teaching of English
Published
2022-05-15
DOI
10.58680/rte2022318632
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Topics
teacher development literacy studies affect and writing editorial matter
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