Sinophone Comics: Histories, Identities, Medialities

While comics published in twentieth-century China have enjoyed extensive coverage, this volume showcases recent works from other locations in Asia and beyond: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Italy and the US. Thus, its Sinophone framing de-centers the hegemony of China in Chinese studies, and that of Japanese manga in comics studies. Non-mangaesque productions take center stage, and a chapter on comics-related cultural exchange with Japan covers reception of Taiwanese comics. Chapter contributors explore key themes in Sinophone studies: identity-construction and (national or medium-specific) history-writing through positive or negative connections with China as a cultural and political center, contingent on local colonial legacies, nationalist projects and other cultural factors. At the same time, this volume underscores transnational connections, central to comics throughout this medium’s history, and recent global trends shaping media and cultural production: state support and soft power, the neoliberal emphasis on creativity and self-branding, the rise of digital platforms. Taiwan constitutes a productive site for studying such issues, hence its centrality to this project.