From Margin to Multiverse: Black Speculative Feminisms and the Worldmaking of Black Girlhood in Graphic Novels

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Social Change, Social Justice

Abstract

Black female protagonists in graphic novels serve as vital conduits for examining Black girlhood through literature, speculative feminism, and youth culture. These narratives explore themes such as self-worth, love, boundaries, and collective care, employing visual storytelling and intricate narratives to impart significant messages. They challenge prevailing power structures and advocate for identity, social justice, liberation, memory, and decolonization. Through the analysis of three graphic novels, this study demonstrates how Black girl protagonists function as agents of world-building, healing, and radical imagination within fantastical or dystopian settings. Employing Black feminist speculative praxis and critical fabulation, these works cultivate Black joy by fostering critical literacy that supports healing and the envisioning of equitable futures.

Authors

• Taryrn T.C. Brown, University of Florida

• Jameelah R Wright, William Paterson University

• Dashana Lane, Bethune Cookman University

• Deandra West, University of Florida