ComBiMe: Comics as Educational Media in the Federal Republic of Germany (1960s-1980s)
ComBiMe: Comics as Educational Media in the Federal Republic of Germany (1960s-1980s)
The project Comics as Educational Media in the Federal Republic of Germany (1960s-1980s) opens up a new field of research for (contemporary) historical research on education. Given the current expansion of comics in pedagogical practice, it examines comics as educational media in the Federal Republic of Germany from the mid-1960s to the end of the 1980s. The source material consists of printed sources such as monographs, brochures, magazine articles, educational plans and framework guidelines as well as archival sources from the educational policy and administration of the State of Hesse. These materials will be examined applying the method of historical discourse analysis. In the course, we will pursue four objectives. First, we will analyse the debate about comics in educational contexts. This centers around social negotiations about picture stories, their focal points and shifts as well as the actors involved. Second, the example of Hesse shall serve to examine the way in which these considerations were incorporated into the legal standardization of state-institutionalized (school) education such as framework guidelines or educational plans. Third, we will analyse causes, influencing factors and framework conditions for both the increasing and the decreasing boom of comics in educational contexts. To this end, fourth, we will take transnational interdependencies into account. (Picture: Jens Natter)
Funded by: German Research Foundation (DFG), Individual Research Grant
Term: 2022-2025
Chair: Prof. Dr. Sylvia Kesper-Biermann
Team : Anna Strunk
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Workshop: Comics as Educational Media in the 20th Century: International Perspectives
University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 8, Raum 212
17 - 18 January 2025
At present it seems like common sense that comics can be a beneficial tool for educational purposes. Their ability to explain and illustrate even complicated topics as well as their motivational impact seem to make them perfect to “loosen up” the classroom. However, in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), this approval of comics only came after a phase, during the 1950s, of vehement rejection and fear with regard to the supposed dangers of comics. They were accused of causing analphabetism, increasing juvenile delinquency and keeping children away from “good literature”. Similar to the FRG, other countries experienced their own struggles and discussions surrounding the use of comics in educational contexts. The upcoming workshop “Comics as Educational Media in the 20th Century: International Perspectives” aims to focus on these developments in East Germany, Poland, France, Great Britain, the USA and Japan. Six speakers will shed light on comic reception and usage in education in their countries of research, opening up a room for comparison and discussion.
The workshop will take place on the on the 17th and 18th of January at the University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 8, room 212 and is open to the public. As there is only limited space available, prior registration is required. To participate, please send a short e-mail to anna.strunk@uni-hamburg.de. Registration is open until the 31st of December 2024.
Program
17 January 2025
2:00 p.m.
Sylvia Kesper-Biermann & Anna Strunk, University of Hamburg
Welcome Address and Introduction
2:30 p.m.
Michael Scholz, Uppsala University
“Esperanto for Illiterate People” – Comics as Educational Media in East Germany?
3: 30 p.m.
Coffee break
3:45 p.m.
Kalina Kupczynska, Łódzki University
Learning with Talkative Animals – Educational Potential of Comics from the Polish Perspective
4:45 p.m.
Bettina Egger, Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg
Bande dessinée as an Educational Media in France: a Long Process Towards Recognition
18 January 2025
9:15 a.m.
Mel Gibson, Northumbria University
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back. Tensions and Hopes Regarding Comics in British Education
10:00 a.m.
Carol Tilley, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Comics in US Education: Always a Bridesmaid
11:00 a.m.
Coffee break
11:15 a.m.
Jacqueline Berndt, Stockholm University
Inside and Outside the Educational System: Manga as a Learning Tool in Japan
12:15
Concluding Discussion