Candida Rifkind

Candida Rifkind is a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Winnipeg, specializing in comics studies, Canadian literature, and life writing theory. She holds a PhD in English from York University and has established herself as a leading scholar in graphic narrative studies with a particular focus on Canadian contexts.

Her research interests span comics and graphic narratives, Canadian literatures and cultures, life writing/autobiography, and screen and cultural studies. She approaches these fields through feminist theoretical frameworks, examining questions of representation, identity, and cultural production in visual narrative forms.

Rifkind's scholarly output demonstrates consistent engagement with the evolving field of comics studies, with recent publications exploring refugee narratives, migrant experiences, Indigenous comics, and the intersection of biography with visual forms. Her work shows increasing attention to global perspectives while maintaining a strong Canadian focus.

• Comics Studies Society 2020 Edited Book Prize (Honourable Mention)
• 2016 Gabrielle Roy Prize for Canadian literary criticism
• 2009 Ann Saddlemyer Award for Canadian theatre scholarship
• F.E.L. Priestley Prize for best essay in English Studies in Canada

As Past President of the Comics Studies Society and editorial board member for several major journals including Canadian Literature and Studies in Canadian Literature, Rifkind plays an active role in shaping scholarly conversations in her fields. She co-edits the Wilfrid Laurier University Press book series Crossing Lines: Transcultural/Transnational Comics Studies and is currently working on Graphic Refuge: Mobility and Visuality in Refugee Comics (forthcoming 2024). Her collaborative projects, including Indigenous Comics and Graphic Novels: An Annotated Bibliography, demonstrate commitment to building scholarly resources for the field.