- University
- News and events
- New doctoral dissertation
New doctoral dissertation
VILNIUS TECH Library invites you to follow the published new dissertations. The dissertation „Representing history in comic book: the importance of temporal and spatial communication“ prepared at VILNIUS TECH by Vaida Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė. The dissertation was prepared in 2021–2025. Scientific consultant – Prof. Dr Tomas Kačerauskas.
The dissertation was defended at the public meeting of the Dissertation Defence Council of the Scientific Field of Communication and Information in the Aula Doctoralis Meeting Hall of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University at 10 a.m. on 26 February 2026.
This doctoral dissertation examines how comics employ temporal and spatial, visually based communication solutions to create the illusion of continuous action and sound in an art form that is soundless and motionless. The dissertation argues that the comics medium is exceptionally well-suited to producing historically based storylines because it can provide emotionally impactful experiences through visually stimulating communicative decisions. This investigation employs several methodological approaches. Comics studies, in general, are very under-researched. Thus, because there is very little research that focuses on the art form’s communication aspects, the author of this dissertation had to employ a holistic approach and utilise qualitative methodologies, such as autoethnography, open-ended questionnaires, and case studies, to gather rich data. The doctoral dissertation begins by examining comics’ ability to create the illusion of action and sound, with a focus on the historical genre. Next, the analysis focuses on visually based communicative applications in the medium and its relationship with the target audience. The dissertation then examines specific comics to identify the creative solutions employed in the medium. Conducted empirical research provided numerous findings. An autoethnographic approach yielded insights into the creative process of producing comics within a historical genre. This experience led to the formulation of rules that should help creatives better plan the creative process and utilise the historians’ consultation for the best possible artistic results. As a soundless medium, comics can effectively convey additional meanings, just as sound would. In other words, all (non-diegetic) text has communicative attributes that can provide additional meaning to the provided information and, in turn, produce an immersive experience. This dissertation concludes with final remarks on communicative challenges and opportunities of the historical genre and possible further research.
Doctoral dissertation readers can search via VILNIUS TECH Virtual Library.
