NEW SUPERHEROES: THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN GRAPHIC MEDICINE DURING THE TIME OF COVID-19

Year 2022, Volume: 11 Issue: 1, 165 - 181, 30.06.2022

Kenan Koçak Ebru Türk Öztopal

https://doi.org/10.54282/inijoss.1017037

Abstract

Covid-19, opening a new page in world history by spreading all over the world, was announced as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. The Covid-19 outbreak has caused more than five million deaths and lasting health problems and affacted economy and society. Wearing masks, physically distancing and even lockdowns have become our new normal. Not only scientists who worked on the prevention of this contagious disease but also scholars from other fields such as philosophy, sociology, arts, and literature, contributed to studies focusing on the reflection of Covid-19 in our lives.
Comics has always been used as a medium to illustrate the catastrophes in human history, to raise awareness, and educate society. Graphic medicine, a field that blends medical humanities and comics, offers a broad space for all segments of society to express their feelings or experiences in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. On the Graphic Medicine website, co-managers MK Czerwiec, and Alice Jaggers categorized comics produced in this period under the title of "Covid-19 Comics" by grouping them according to their themes and creators such as educational, vaccine-specific comics, ethics/social justice, by/about caregivers, by patients, coping and humour, and historic. This study will focus on the portrayal of caregivers as superheroes in selected Covid-19 comics both in print and on social media posts. The superhero metaphor in comics will be discussed in the context of graphic medicine.

Keywords

Covid-19, Comics, Graphic Medicine, Superhero, Healthcare Professionals

YENİ SÜPER KAHRAMANLAR: COVID-19 SÜRECİNDE GRAFİK TIPTA SAĞLIK ÇALIŞANLARININ TASVİRLERİ

Abstract

Tüm dünyaya yayılarak dünya tarihinde yeni bir sayfa açan Covid-19, 11 Mart 2020 tarihinde Dünya Sağlık Örgütü (WHO) tarafından pandemi olarak ilan edilmiştir Covid-19 salgını beş milyondan fazla ölüme ve kalıcı sağlık sorunlarına sebep olmuş ve ekonomiyi ve toplumu etkilemiştir. Maske takmak, fiziksel mesafeyi korumak ve hatta sokağa çıkma yasağı yeni normal haline gelmiştir. Bu bulaşıcı hastalığın önlenmesi için çalışan bilim insanlarının yanı sıra felsefe, sosyoloji, sanat, edebiyat gibi diğer alanlardan akademisyenler de Covid-19'un hayatımızdaki yansımasına odaklanan çalışmalara katkı sağlamıştır.
Çizgi roman, insanlık tarihindeki felaketleri anlatmak, farkındalık yaratmak ve toplumu eğitmek için her zaman bir araç olarak kullanılmıştır. Tıbbi beşeri bilimleri ve çizgi romanı harmanlayan bir alan olan grafik tıp, Covid-19 pandemisi döneminde toplumun tüm kesimlerine duygularını veya deneyimlerini ifade etmeleri için geniş bir alan sunmuştur. Graphic Medicine internet sitesinde, ortak yöneticiler MK Czerwiec ve Alice Jaggers, bu dönemde üretilen çizgi romanları "Covid-19 Çizgi romanları" başlığı altında sınıflandırmıştır. Temalarına ve yaratıcılarına göre eğitici, aşıya özel çizgi romanlar, etik/sosyal adalet ile ilgili çizgi romanlar, sağlık çalışanları tarafından/onlar hakkında veya hastalar tarafından üretilen çizgi romanlar, başa çıkma ve mizah son olarak da tarihsel çizgi romanlar olarak adlandırılmışlardır. Bu çalışma, hem yayınlanmış hem de sosyal medya paylaşımlarından seçilen Covid-19 çizgi romanlarında sağlık çalışanlarının süper kahramanlar olarak tasvir edilmesine odaklanacaktır. Çizgi romanlardaki süper kahraman metaforu grafik tıp bağlamında ele alınacaktır.

Keywords

Covid-19, Çizgiroman, Grafik Tıp, Süper Kahraman, Sağlık Çalışanları

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