This week sees the publication of two new important papers on Graphic Medicine. Here are direct links to the online papers.
The first is published with open access on the excellent Comics Grid website:
‘Graphic Medicine’ as a Mental Health Information Resource: Insights from Comics Producers
Authors: Anthony Farthing ,Ernesto Priego
Abstract
Recent literature suggests that a growing number of comics are being published on health-related topics, including aspects of mental health and social care (Williams 2012; Czerwiec et al 2015) and that comics are increasingly being used in higher education settings as information resources.
This article offers insights from comics creators and disseminators and explores the wider context of comics production and distribution (with a focus on ‘Graphic Medicine’ or health-related comics) as part of a larger examination of the interface between these documents and potential academic audiences. Original data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 15 participants actively involved in comics creation and production. Elements of domain analysis (Hjørland 2002) were used to obtain insights into attitudes to the creation, dissemination and use of mental health-related comics.
Though potentially useful comics material is being produced in the mental health domain, significant challenges remain for producers in enabling their work to be accessed within higher education settings. This paper suggests that comics producers need to make a concerted effort to reach academia, and academia – including information professionals – need to embrace new types of material to enhance teaching.
The second is published in the Journal of Comics and Graphic Novels, in print and online, by Taylor and Francis. You will need academic access to see the whole paper online.
Comics in public health: the sociocultural and cognitive influence of narrative on health behaviours
Author: Sarah Dobbins
Abstract
Featured image: ‘No wonder my back hurts’ (Barker, M. 2013: 34). © Meg-John Barker 2013.
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