La linea dell’orizzonte, a first ethno-graphic experience : the possibilities and limits of comics for ethnography

Della Puppa, Francesco (author)

The aim of the article is to reflect on the process of disseminating ethnographic research via the language of comics, drawing on the author’s experience as a (co-)author of La linea dell’orizzonte. An ethnographic novel on migration between Bangladesh, Italy, and London. The mentioned experience helped to identify certain advantages of conveying ethnography through comic books: effective communication of the research process; a precise depiction of the spatial and environmental context in which the social phenomenon examined occurs; a suitable rendering of the emotional atmosphere; and a deep exploration of the researcher’s reflexive processes. Accordingly, in this article these opportunities and limitations are investigated along with other possibilities and constraints encountered by the author in the process of composing an ‘ethnographic novel’.

• Language: English
• Keywords: comics, ethnography, ethnographic novel, migrations, anthropology, research
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 24.04.2026
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 113-120
• Numbering: Letn. 63, št. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183417
• UDC: 741.52:39
• ISSN on article: 0040-3598
• DOI: 10.51936/tip.63.1.113
• COBISS.SI-ID: 276931843
• Publication date in RUL: 12.06.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Teorija in praksa : revija za družbena vprašanja
• Shortened title: Teor. praksa
• Publisher: Fakulteta za družbene vede
• ISSN: 0040-3598
• COBISS.SI-ID: 763652

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Linija horizonta, moja prva etnografska izkušnja

Abstract

S tem člankom želim razmisliti o procesu širjenja etnografskih raziskav skozi jezik stripa, pri čemer se opiram na svoje izkušnje (so)avtorja knjige Linija horizonta, etnografski roman o migracijah med Bangladešem, Italijo in Londonom. Te izkušnje so mi omogočile prepoznati nekatere prednosti etnografske reprezentacije v stripih: učinkovito komuniciranje raziskovalnega procesa; natančen prikaz prostorskega in okoljskega konteksta, v katerem se odvija preiskovani družbeni pojav; primerno upodobitev čustvenega vzdušja; poglobljeno raziskovanje refleksivnih procesov samega raziskovalca. Ta članek bo zato preučil te priložnosti in omejitve, skupaj z drugimi možnostmi in omejitvami, s katerimi sem se srečal pri pisanju tega etnografskega romana.

• Keywords: stripi, etnografija, etnografski roman, migracije, antropologija, raziskovanje