Religious and Cultural Difference in Modern British Political Cartoons

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Description

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.

Reviews

'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 *

Author Bio

Tahnia Ahmed received her PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from King's College London, UK.