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When Comics Dismantle Taboos in Morocco
Abstract
Since the Arab Uprisings, a young generation of female artists has emerged, empowered by the revolutionary spirit, demystifying the many taboos around women and their bodies, while bolstering civil participation. At the crossroads of gender, race, and class, Zainab Fasiki’s 2019 comic book Hshouma. Corps et sexualité au Maroc is a bold endeavor that breaks with the social heteronormative framework and conventional representations around gender, sexual education, and violence towards women. In this presentation, I first look at how, in the context of revolt around the globe, art has become more and more a receptacle of “artivism” (combining art and activism). Second, I examine the comic book’s provocative nature, both in its form and content, challenging the comics genre’s conventions, thus paving the way for alternative narratives. Broadly speaking, I am interested in considering the aesthetic nature of this contentious comic book and how Fasiki negotiates these tensions
Discipline
Art/Art History
Geographic Area
Morocco
Sub Area
Visual Cultural