Graphic politics: resistance and community building through comics activism among Turkey’s diaspora(s)

Dirençizgiroman/Resist Comics is an anthology of comics, illustration, and writing, which was conceived in the early days of the Gezi Park Resistance in June 2013 by a core group of six writers and one artist, three of whom were members of Turkey’s diasporas in Germany, France, and Australia, respectively. Based in Sydney, Australia, I was the instigator and editor of the project, collaborating with over 30 artists from Turkey and Australia to produce an anthology, published in Turkey with an English translation printed and distributed in approximately 20 countries through the help of crowdfunding. Using an autographic method and drawing from digital ethnography and in-depth interviews with the core members of the Dirençizgiroman collective, this chapter argues that engaging in comics activism as migrants helped us claim political agency and assert ourselves as active citizens through creative practice.