COMICA

Originating from The Academic Line project—which playfully explores the many (often laughable) aspects of academic life—COMICA turns its attention to diversity in academia. Using humour and comics, COMICA invites participants to reflect critically on their own experiences, question dominant narratives, and explore new perspectives on what diversity means in academic spaces.

In COMICA workshops, participants—including academics across roles (such as teachers, supervisors, and researchers) and career stages (from PhD candidates to professors)—use humour and comics to share their stories. Together, they create comic characters and scripts that bring their workplace experiences to life. Inspired by narrative pedagogy, humour theory, and the use of comics as a tool for reflection and social change, these workshops create a space where themes of diversity can emerge naturally and be explored through self-reflection, perspective-taking, and empathy.

COMICA also hosts hybrid events that bring together participants from different locations, blending in-person and online interaction. Keynote speakers with expertise in comics share how humour can challenge dominant narratives and highlight issues such as power imbalances and stereotypes through irony and satire. These events create opportunities for dialogue across boundaries, allowing diverse voices to connect, exchange ideas, and collaboratively reflect on diversity.