Researching Visual Propoganda
Mentor: Kevin Moore
This project aspires to examine both historical and contemporary materials in order to create interpretive frameworks for rethinking and, when necessary, resisting the influence of visual propaganda. By conducting primary archival research, we intend to learn how visual propaganda throughout the twentieth century can teach us about persuasive 21st century digital phenomena such as memes and fake news. We will investigate how politically and culturally charged forms of visual propaganda, as products of transitional political periods (war, elections, etc.), influence public relations and society’s norms and ideologies. The project aims to identify useful teaching resources, as well as to generate a collaboratively authored essay on how studying print visual propaganda can help us better interpret and theorize digital images on social media.