Socio-semiotics and the history of "working-class comics and cartoons" in Sweden
In the following, I will first relate how certain graphic works of autofiction have come to be accepted as contributions to the tradition of working-class literature in Sweden. Then I will exemplify how some of these works could be analysed from a socio-semiotic point of view, drawing some inspiration from Bruce Campbell’s studies of the political use of comics in Mexico. Lastly, I will sketch the outlines of a Swedish history of cartooning aimed at a working-class audience, and repose the following question, which I regard to be socio-semiotic in essence: Are simple artistic means and deskilling a visual marker of grassroot authenticity, and is it even a decisive semiotic choice for cartoonists who want to be associated with working-class autofiction, leftist politics and labour history?
Authors
- Fred Andersson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9161-5136)
- Fred; id_orcid 0000-0002-9161-5136 Andersson
Publication Details
- Journal
- Åbo Akademi University Research Portal
- Published
- 2026-04-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111133553-008
- Primary Topic
- Comics and Graphic Narratives
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00