In recent years, the rise of the ‘graphic novel’ has boosted academic interest in comic art from different disciplines and fields of study. Graphic texts, in their multiple forms and genres, have been a cultural manifestation reflecting societal changes, historical tensions and also their effects on individual stories since their inception. Comics have also been instrumental in the construction of national identities, both in nation-states and in stateless nations.

This conference aims to put into dialogue scholars working on a variety of cultures and disciplines to provide a forum for the discussion of the interrelation between comic art (comic books and strips, cartoons and caricature) and nation, placing special emphasis on text/image creation from minority cultures (e.g. Brittany, Catalonia, Corsica, Galicia, Kurdistan, Mapuche, Quebec, Scotland, Wales, etc.) but also including those from nation-states (e.g. China, France, Italy, Japan, Spain, UK, etc.).