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Trauma to Tyranny: The Comic Book as a Counterpoint to Collective and Individual Narcissism

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Exegesis(19.73 MB)

Date

2025

Authors

Panaita, Elena

Supervisor

Ings, Welby
Marks, Stefan

Item type

Thesis

Degree name

Doctor of Philosophy

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Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

This practice-led thesis investigates how the design of a comic book might serve as a device for critiquing a socio-political construct. The thesis considers ways in which autobiographical, visual storytelling can be used to translate complex theoretical concepts into emotionally resonant narratives that expand the reach of academic discourse, so it becomes accessible to a wider audience. Methodologically, the study integrates autoethnographical research with heuristic inquiry, using contextual reading and self-reflection to examine personal, social, political, historical, and cultural conditions. The significance of the study lies in the use of comic book design to advance discussions on the impact of childhood and intergenerational trauma on the formation of psychological disorders (including the development of individual and collective narcissism), and the shaping of authoritarian family and societal structures. In doing so, the study highlights how unprocessed trauma can perpetuate cycles of abuse and authoritarianism, where fear, control, and denial become devices of manipulation. In the context of global authoritarianism and the suppression of marginalised voices, the comic book Upgraded Gods makes evident the importance of resistance and provides insight into a struggle to reclaim personal agency, truth, and freedom. As such it offers an independent, subjective counter-narrative that confronts controlling rhetoric and fragmented collective memory.

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Permanent link

http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20887

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Doctoral Theses