On Feb. 10 at 3 p.m, The SXU library and faculty held an open discussion in the Bishop Quarter Room about the graphic novel “Maus,” and the importance of intellectual freedom, censorship, politics, and cultural memory.
Campus community members joined Political Science Professor Matthew Costello, Ph.D., English and Foreign Language Professor Diego Espiña-Barros, Ph.D., and Interim Library Director Caitlin Archer-Helke as they discussed the recent controversy surrounding the graphic novel Maus.
This lecture was held in response to “Maus” being removed by the McMinn County school district’s eighth-grade curriculum in Tennessee. The decision to remove Maus was made on Jan. 10, as the book was ‘objected’ by school board members for its use of foul language and nude imagery of a woman.
During the presentation, Costello shared his disappointment to see “Maus” banned for “eight swear words,” and one page that showed Spiegelman’s mother lying in a tub naked after commiting suicide.
Costello shared statistics of voter suppression legislation in U.S. states, where he connected it to the banning of books.
But Costello made it clear that “Maus”—in relation to these voter rights laws—has brought value to representation in our political differences, saying, “It’s about who we are as a democratic nation.”
Espiña-Barros followed with a presentation on the origins of “Maus.”
“When we talk about the past and present, we have to talk about the future,” said Espiña-Barros. He refers to the mass genocide that the Holocaust had cost people: their lives. “How do you make and understand people who’ve lost us in a graphic novel?” Espiña-Barros asked.
He also brought up another concept—called ‘The Mask Game’—where one’s identity is questioned because it’s hidden under an animalistic mask. In Espiña-Barros’ view, he thinks ‘Maus’ is ‘morally’ and ‘ethically’ about success—and is acceptable for most readers.
Interim Library Director Caitlin Archer-Helke says she’s a firm believer in the “absolutist idea of freedom of speech,” but notes that librarians have their own “complicated issues” taking a stance on the issue of censorship.
The Xavierite was provided with a flier from the American Library Association, courtesy of Archer-Helke. Censorship Statistics compiled by the Office for Intellectual Freedom reported that 43% of public libraries have challenges with censorship in books, compared to 38% in schools and 15% in school libraries.
Archer-Helker believed that the huge gaps in American voting restrictions—that Costello explained—cause more diverse, or ‘representation,’ books to get banned. But she emphasized, “It’s really incumbent on us to have material accessible for everyone.”
All three panelists agreed that “Maus” is not intended for all children—even if there are pictures included. They say it’s too “dense” for a historical context. Still, Espiña-Barros said, “We don’t always know what’s going on in the world around us. But we express it through art.”
The comic book depicts the life of Art Spiegelman’s father, describing his survival stories and experiences during the Holocaust—in concentration camps. He was imprisoned from Poland to Auschwitz. After his liberation, he then immigrated to America for a better life.
Despite a large number of discontinued books in America like “Maus,” Costello suggests, “If it’s banned, go buy it.”
Two volumes written by Spiegelman in the “Maus” series—Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History, and Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
—are available for purchase on Amazon.
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