Report of the 5th Interdisciplinary Italy Summer School (Dublin 2024)

The 2024 Interdisciplinary Italy Summer School took place last week in Trinity College, Dublin. We are grateful to our funders: the European Commission Funding (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) and the Society for Italian Studies. This was our fifth summer school and we dedicated it to investigating – and indeed even making – transnational Italian comics.

The summer school explored the concept of transnationality in Italian comics and how both transnationality and intermediality can be used as methodological approaches for the study of comics and, more broadly, visual media. Dr Manuela Di Franco introduced the concept of transnationality as a methodological approach to the study of comics and delivered a workshop on reading and analysing a comic by Italian popular comic artist Zerocalcare. Prof Nancy Pedri (Memorial University of Newfoundland) delivered her keynote on transnationality in documentary comics, and explored intermedial storytelling practices of comics, linking the talk with Prof Clodagh Brook’s introduction to intermediality. Prof Brook’s seminar explained intermedial approaches, as well as the history of the field, and encouraged participants to reflect on how intermediality can be used in their research.  Dr Lisa Maya Quaianni Manuzzato introduced alternative comics and comics zines to show how different production practices can impact the transnational dimension of comics in Italy. The summer school ended with a workshop on comics zines creation delivered by local artists, the Bad Way Press, who showed how alternative printing works and guided participants in creating their own zines. The workshop was an opportunity to put into practice concepts addressed during the seminars. It also offered an opportunity to connect with artists.

Participants collaborated to analyse comics from a scholarly perspective, engaging in group discussions on methodological approaches in comics and visual studies. These discussions provided an opportunity to reflect on how comics integrate into the broader landscape of Italian popular culture. The summer school not only facilitated academic exploration but also fostered new academic collaborations among participants. The exchange of ideas during seminars and workshops created a dynamic environment where scholars and artists could connect, leading to the initiation of potential research projects and partnerships. The hands-on activities, particularly the zine-making workshop, allowed participants to apply theoretical concepts practically, further strengthening their understanding and appreciation of comics as a significant cultural medium. This collaborative and immersive experience emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in the study of comics and visual media, highlighting their role in contemporary cultural and academic contexts.

The summer school, alongside the Interdisciplinary Italy website remain important legacies of the Interdisciplinary Italy project, which is carried on through these channels, and through the continuing research of the Interdisciplinary Italy research group (Brook, Mussgnug, Pieri, Bellardi, Brioni, Di Franco, Lima, Patti), and the postdocs and PhD students who work with the members of the research group.