Satirical Depictions of the European Union : A Semiotic Analysis of Political Cartoons on the 2004 Enlargement and 2009-2012 Eurozone Debt Crisis
Author
Summary, in English
This study examines the visual representations of the European Union (EU) in political cartoons on the 2004 enlargement and the 2009-2012 Eurozone debt crisis, and the interactions between these depictions and Europe’s socio-political order. Carried out on fourteen political cartoons (out of a 300-cartoon corpus), the visual analysis is based on the theories of traditional semiotics, social semiotics, and metaphor. The analysis results show that the cartoonists’ depictions of the EU bear a strong resemblance to the popular discourse. The EU is often depicted as a disunited political entity, whose orientation and action are decided by pragmatism and national egoism of its individual member states. The EU’s power structure and national / regional stereotypes are also emphasised in the political cartoons. These satirical representations form a dissenting voice against the EU, but can also contribute to the naturalisation of Europe’s socio-political order. This complex process depends on both the viewers’ interpretation and the whole media “ecosystem” surrounding the cartoons.
Department/s
Publishing year
2012
Language
English
Full text
Document type
Student publication for Master's degree (two years)
Topic
- Languages and Literatures
Keywords
- political cartoon
- metaphor
- stereotype
- semiotics
- social semiotics
- European Union
- EU enlargement
- debt crisis
- European public sphere
Supervisor
- Barbara Törnquist-Plewa