Expanderande universum
Den amerikanska serieindustrins superhjälteuniversum och islam.
IslamComicsGraphic novelsEthnicitySuperheroesPowerIdentityIslamSerierGrafiska romanerEtnicitetSuperhjältarMaktIdentitet.
This study examines how the American comic book industry?s output is addressing the issue of Islam and in which manner the portrayal of Islam in the great American comic book universes have changed since 2001. The comic books are examined from the postcolonial perspective as formulated by Chandra Mohanty and the power and resistance-perspective as formulated by Michel Foucault. Examination of the comic books reveals far greater focus on universal values, orthopraxy and inclusive perspectives than it does on dogmatic teachings, orthodoxy and sectarianism while at the same time partly relying on generalizations and archetypes concerning Islam. To change the power balance requires what I call intervention from the objective, that is to say that ambiguity regarding Muslim characters has to be eliminated by the narrative. This reveals the prominence of the so-called white assistance fantasy in superhero fiction.