Focusing on British broadsheets such as The Times and The Guardian, and tabloid publications such as The Sun and The Daily Mail, this book looks at the visualization of post-colonial Britain through cartoons.
Tahnia Ahmed examines how Irish, Jewish, Sikh and Muslim communities are Othered, interrogating the patterns and trends in the way they are depicted – both consciously and unconsciously – by cartoonists in Britain from the 20th century onwards. She reveals how cartoonists such as Nicholas Garland and Peter Brookes present assimilation as the goal for the portrayed minorities. At the same time, this goal is deemed impossible because difference is ontological and unchangeable.
Central to the cartoons explored in this book is the construction of identity and the concept of ‘us’, demonstrating the role cartoons play in the stability and enduring power of the archetype. Ahmed suggests that cartoons illustrate how racial and religious prejudice subtly interface and reinforce one another. A depiction of religious difference, Ahmed argues, is often actually a cover for outright racism.
By:
Tahnia Ahmed (Department for Transport UK)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781350294103
ISBN 10: 1350294101
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 13 June 2024
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction Glossary List of Illustrations 1. Nuns, Guns and Balaclavas: the Irish in Political Cartoons 2. Noses, Moses and War: Jews in Political Cartoons 3. Turbans, Terrorism and Transport: Sikhs in Political Cartoons 4. Burqas on the Beach: Muslim Women in Political Cartoons 5. Beards, Bombs and Barbarians: Muslim Men in Political Cartoons Conclusion Bibliography Index
Tahnia Ahmed received her PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from King's College London, UK.
Reviews for Religious and Cultural Difference in Modern British Political Cartoons
'This book makes a massive contribution to the scholarship of political cartooning, especially as it relates to the central issue of depicting the cultural and religious Other in mainstream media. It covers a wide range of racial, religious and gender groups in a balanced and temperate way that makes the critical conclusions all the more powerful.' * Robert Phiddian, Professor of English, Flinders University, Australia * ‘A well-researched, thought-provoking, contemporary perspective on the history of the political cartoonists’ use of tropes and stereotypes.’ * Tim Benson, Founder of the Political Cartoon Society, UK *
