This thesis examines the construction of agriculture in 15 North Korean propaganda posters issued between 1995 and 2010 provided by the Willem van der Bijl collection. The analysis adheres to an...Show moreThis thesis examines the construction of agriculture in 15 North Korean propaganda posters issued between 1995 and 2010 provided by the Willem van der Bijl collection. The analysis adheres to an altered version of the Four Sites theory by Gillian Rose to connect the results to the relevant socio-political context to uncover change, continuity, and trends in the visual construction of agriculture. The analysis discovers three main results: a strong presence of patriarchal values, the reuse of old revolutionary symbols related to Kim Il Sung, and various specific agricultural campaigns that offer a window into the economic turmoil that is the 1990s and 2000s. It concludes that the construction of agriculture portrays a successful socialist agricultural system. But the posters also reveal the government’s attempt to cope with economic distress and prevent collapse by seeking to motivate North Korea’s adult population through posters.Show less
