“The Gifts of the Hurricane:” Reimagining Post-María Puerto Rico through Comics
Although the media framed Hurricanes Irma and María and their aftermath as a tragedy, and indeed it was, a small literary canon has emerged that explores the storms as an opportunity to rethink Puerto Rico’s future. The aftermath of the hurricanes impacted cultural production two-fold; by forcing wr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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James Cook University
2021-09-01
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| Series: | eTropic: electronic journal of studies in the tropics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.jcu.edu.au/etropic/article/view/3815 |
| _version_ | 1818773227536646144 |
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| author | Daniel Arbino |
| author_facet | Daniel Arbino |
| author_sort | Daniel Arbino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although the media framed Hurricanes Irma and María and their aftermath as a tragedy, and indeed it was, a small literary canon has emerged that explores the storms as an opportunity to rethink Puerto Rico’s future. The aftermath of the hurricanes impacted cultural production two-fold; by forcing writers to engage with climate change, while also rethinking the colonial relationship that Puerto Rico has with the United States. Looking specifically at selections from English- and Spanish-language comic anthologies Ricanstruction (2018), Puerto Rico Strong (2018) and Nublado: Escombros de María (2018) as well as single-author graphic novels like María and Temporada (2019), I explore how authors used Hurricane María as a catalyst to reimagine and recreate a more autonomous future for the island through decolonial imaginaries, a notion laid out by Emma Pérez. Despite their different approaches to Puerto Rico’s future, the comics’ commonality lies in counter-narratives that espouse community values, indigeneity, innovation, and reclamation of nature as a means to confront hardship. Together they produce alternative modalities for transcending the vulnerabilities of debilitating disasters brought on by climate change. They offer a return to pre-colonial values combined with new technologies to empower the island to break from the United States and withstand future storms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T10:21:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-51308cf17809449f8bfcecffeed66550 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1448-2940 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T10:21:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | James Cook University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eTropic: electronic journal of studies in the tropics |
| spelling | doaj.art-51308cf17809449f8bfcecffeed665502022-12-21T21:11:06ZengJames Cook UniversityeTropic: electronic journal of studies in the tropics1448-29402021-09-0120210.25120/etropic.20.2.2021.3815“The Gifts of the Hurricane:” Reimagining Post-María Puerto Rico through ComicsDaniel Arbino0University of Texas at Austin, USAAlthough the media framed Hurricanes Irma and María and their aftermath as a tragedy, and indeed it was, a small literary canon has emerged that explores the storms as an opportunity to rethink Puerto Rico’s future. The aftermath of the hurricanes impacted cultural production two-fold; by forcing writers to engage with climate change, while also rethinking the colonial relationship that Puerto Rico has with the United States. Looking specifically at selections from English- and Spanish-language comic anthologies Ricanstruction (2018), Puerto Rico Strong (2018) and Nublado: Escombros de María (2018) as well as single-author graphic novels like María and Temporada (2019), I explore how authors used Hurricane María as a catalyst to reimagine and recreate a more autonomous future for the island through decolonial imaginaries, a notion laid out by Emma Pérez. Despite their different approaches to Puerto Rico’s future, the comics’ commonality lies in counter-narratives that espouse community values, indigeneity, innovation, and reclamation of nature as a means to confront hardship. Together they produce alternative modalities for transcending the vulnerabilities of debilitating disasters brought on by climate change. They offer a return to pre-colonial values combined with new technologies to empower the island to break from the United States and withstand future storms.https://journals.jcu.edu.au/etropic/article/view/3815decolonialitydecolonial imaginaryPuerto Ricocomicsgraphic novelsHurricane María |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Arbino “The Gifts of the Hurricane:” Reimagining Post-María Puerto Rico through Comics eTropic: electronic journal of studies in the tropics decoloniality decolonial imaginary Puerto Rico comics graphic novels Hurricane María |
| title | “The Gifts of the Hurricane:” Reimagining Post-María Puerto Rico through Comics |
| title_full | “The Gifts of the Hurricane:” Reimagining Post-María Puerto Rico through Comics |
| title_fullStr | “The Gifts of the Hurricane:” Reimagining Post-María Puerto Rico through Comics |
| title_full_unstemmed | “The Gifts of the Hurricane:” Reimagining Post-María Puerto Rico through Comics |
| title_short | “The Gifts of the Hurricane:” Reimagining Post-María Puerto Rico through Comics |
| title_sort | the gifts of the hurricane reimagining post maria puerto rico through comics |
| topic | decoloniality decolonial imaginary Puerto Rico comics graphic novels Hurricane María |
| url | https://journals.jcu.edu.au/etropic/article/view/3815 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danielarbino thegiftsofthehurricanereimaginingpostmariapuertoricothroughcomics |