A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book
Defiance and Utopia: The Curational and Pedagogical Potential of a Queer Comics Exhibition
Authors: Kähkönen, Lotta; Ontto-Panula, Henry-Paul; Vuorinne, Anna
Editors: Aman, Robert; Wallner, Lars;
Edition: 1st Edition
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication year: 2026
Book title : Comics and Norm-Critical Pedagogy: Gender, Sexuality, and Cultural Identity
ISBN: 978-1-04-101933-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003621911-4
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: No Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : No Open Access publication channel
In this chapter, the authors—two researchers and a comics artist—discuss the conceptualization, realization, and collaboration behind a queer comics exhibition. The exhibition, titled Defiance and Utopia: Finnish Queer Comics Across Decades, was held in the spring of 2024 at the Turku City Main Library. The chapter focuses on the curational and pedagogical implications and potentials of exhibiting queer comics in a public space for diverse audiences. The approach draws on scholarship on queer comics and takes part in discussions around queer and feminist curation and pedagogy, particularly in relation to using comics to queer pedagogical ends. The chapter proposes that queer comics pedagogy in public space is not a straightforward method or merely an exercise in drawing attention to queer comics or analyzing comics queerly. Rather, it is a layered, evolving process—rooted in collaboration and the integration of knowledge, experience, and action.