Chrisoulis, Konstantinos (2026) Graphic Biography as Practice-Led Research: Cultural Memory, Authorial Voice, and the Role of the Artist–Researcher. Doctoral thesis, York St John University.

	Text (PhD by Published Work submission) Graphic Biography as Practice-Led Research - Cultural Memory, Authorial Voice, and the Role of the Artist–Researcher.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only until 21 October 2029. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (137MB) Request a copy
	Text (List of published work in submission) CHRISOULIS, Konstantinos - List of Published Work (1).pdf - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only until 21 October 2029. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (33kB) Request a copy

Abstract

This PhD by Published Work critically examines graphic biography as a distinct genre of nonfiction comics that generates new forms of biographical knowledge through a practice-led body of work comprising Dryland, Tales of the Smiths, King, and Rebel Rebel. Developed across print and digital platforms, these graphic biographies collectively investigate how lived experience, cultural memory, and historical identity can be reconstructed and communicated through sequential art. The submission argues that graphic biography is not a derivative of graphic memoir or journalism but a mode with its own epistemological and aesthetic frameworks, shaped by intermediality, archival mediation, and the embodied practice of drawing.

Central to this research is the concept of the artist–researcher and the role of drawing as “method-writing”, where interpretation emerges through visual dramaturgy, sequencing, identifying with the subject and stylistic decisions rather than explicit authorial presence. Across the works, mediated archival materials—oral histories, press interviews, and cultural artefacts—are reconfigured into layered narratives that foreground both historical context and subjective reconstruction. This approach challenges assumptions of transparency in nonfiction comics, positioning graphic biography as a reflexive act of mediation.

The works explore diverse cultural contexts, from interwar rural Greece (Dryland) to post-industrial Manchester (Tales of the Smiths), Jewish diasporic history (King), and mid-century British popular culture (Rebel Rebel). In doing so, they demonstrate how memory is shaped by place, material culture, and intergenerational transmission. The use of “side-stories” and serialised webcomic formats further expands narrative strategies and dissemination models, bridging zine culture, digital publishing, and print remediation.

The critical review of the published works establishes graphic biography as a critical tool for cultural and historical inquiry. By integrating practice and theory, it advances new methodologies for life-writing, expands the scope of comics scholarship, and demonstrates how visual storytelling can generate original forms of biographical knowledge.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Status:	Published
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General)
School/Department:	School of Humanities
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/16210

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