- Published
- 01 January 2022
- Book
Pandemic Tales: Responses to Covid-19 and Lockdown
- Authors
- Source
- Pandemic Tales: Responses to Covid-19 and Lockdown
Full text
Abstract
Since 2016 the Scottish Centre for Comics Studies has produced a number of public information comics, many of them dealing with healthcare issues and science communication. This has been part of a research project looking into the educational potential of comics. We believe that comics, which combine words and images, engage readers in unique ways that can aid understanding. The medium is highly effective at communicating ideas clearly, but also provoking emotional, intellectual and imaginative responses.
When the Coronavirus pandemic took hold in early 2020, sending the world into lockdown, we decided to create an anthology comic to help people reflect upon the impact of the virus. We wanted to capture the important transitions that everyone was making, and to tell the stories of the communities, groups, and individuals who were doing amazing things to help themselves and others. We sought to tell the stories of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. We also wanted to highlight the University of Dundee’s response. This has included scientists working to assist the global effort to find a vaccine, nursing students join the front line by completing their studies in practice, the creation of the Scrub Hub, which saw a partnership between the university, business and the public to create much needed PPE, creating guidance material and resources in partnership with British Psychological Society to support children and young people, school staff and families with educational and life transitions, and many other activities. In light of these inspiring tales of dedication and determination the comics team mobilised to help tell these stories in the best way we know how – through a comic!
Pandemic Tales: Responses to Covid-19 and Lockdown collects stories about these strange and challenging times. During the pandemic and lockdown the stories created for this anthology were released individually as webcomics on the Scottish Centre for Comics Studies website and some through blogs published by the Transformative Change: Educational and Life Transitions (TCELT) Research Centre. These stories have now been collected here in one volume. Many thanks to all those who supported this project, from all the writers and artists creating the comics, to Professor John Rowan, Dr Clive Randall and Kaye Lister at the University of Dundee, who assisted with funding the project. We dedicate this comic to all those who we have lost to the pandemic, to everyone who has struggled through illness and the pressures of lockdown, and to all the scientists and healthcare workers around the world who have worked so hard to keep us safe.
We are excited to share these stories with you, and there are many more to follow!
Chris and Divya
Cite as
Murray, C., Jindal-Snape, D., Larkin, A., Horner, R., Laird, C. & Dominiak, Z. 2022, Pandemic Tales: Responses to Covid-19 and Lockdown, Pandemic Tales: Responses to Covid-19 and Lockdown, University of Dundee. https://doi.org/10.20933/100001241