War videogames support and reproduce neo-imperialist rhetoric and world views. Videogames, due to their interactive nature, differ from any other cultural product and allow the consumer (player) to...Show moreWar videogames support and reproduce neo-imperialist rhetoric and world views. Videogames, due to their interactive nature, differ from any other cultural product and allow the consumer (player) to actively participate in the embedded narratives present in any game. In the following thesis, interviews with members of the military have been carried out and five videogames have been considered in the analysis (America’s Army: Proving Grounds, Airman Challenge, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Battlefield 3 and Arma 3). Through a Gramscian approach, benefiting from concepts such as hegemony and persuasion and the understanding of ideas as material forces, and the use of audiovisual methods, the research has explored the role of absence and impossibility in the reproduction of hegemonic worldviews in war videogames.Show less
The statement “a picture tells a thousand words” is pretty often used.I want to find out if there is real value in this statement. In this thesis I will discuss the representations of images of the...Show moreThe statement “a picture tells a thousand words” is pretty often used.I want to find out if there is real value in this statement. In this thesis I will discuss the representations of images of the SARS and COVID-19 virus in People’s Republic of China (PRC). Images help us learn, images grab attention and they are helping to explain tough concept. That is why I think it is interesting to take a look at the representations of images of SARS and COVID-19. In this context I speak about images that are directly related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or are at least have been approved by it. In my research I will focus on two time periodes. 2002-2003, the time of the SARS virus outbreak and 2020, the year of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. I will analyze images from both time periodes to investigate if the images show similarities in representing the virus or have changed over time and I will try to analyze why this is the case.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to examine how the discourse of the Chinese government regarding the environment has evolved over time, and what role environmental propaganda has played in generating...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to examine how the discourse of the Chinese government regarding the environment has evolved over time, and what role environmental propaganda has played in generating this discourse. This research also touches on the underlying messages and values of this propaganda, and how it communicates and constructs specific representations about the environment and environmental protection.Show less
This thesis explores the stereotypes of different Cold War movies made in the Soviet Union. Three movies are analysed based on a critical literature review about stereotypes. Based on the...Show moreThis thesis explores the stereotypes of different Cold War movies made in the Soviet Union. Three movies are analysed based on a critical literature review about stereotypes. Based on the observations and different theories of scholars the stereotypes are defined and placed within their time period.Show less
The September 11 attacks of 2001, alongside the bombings in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005, are just some examples of terrorism that have been carried out in the name of Islam. These events have...Show moreThe September 11 attacks of 2001, alongside the bombings in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005, are just some examples of terrorism that have been carried out in the name of Islam. These events have been heavily discussed and debated not only in the West, but globally regarding the use of Islam in committing terrorism. Hence, different scholars have touched upon the concept of Salafism in relation to modern-day terrorism but did not bring enough attention to how it has multiple uses in politics. This research sheds light on the methods of two very distinct political actors which were able to create social cohesion, attract followers and maintain a collective identity within their societies. Therefore, this research investigates how both the Islamic State and Saudi Arabia have used Islam as part of their propaganda strategy online to achieve political outcomes.Show less
This thesis focusses on the question: How has the Chinese propaganda department propagated stories in and outside of China through its new-type mainstream media since the 18th CCP Congress in 2012?...Show moreThis thesis focusses on the question: How has the Chinese propaganda department propagated stories in and outside of China through its new-type mainstream media since the 18th CCP Congress in 2012? The CPD endeavours to send a coherent message to different audiences in order to enhance China’s international image by applying a new media-management strategy that aims at telling better stories to the world about China. This thesis endeavours to identify the rationales of the CPD through an analysis of its structure and the aims of the new media-management strategy. As a case study, eight video clips will be analysed, interpreted and discussed alongside the academic research in order to draw conclusions. On the basis of the video clip analyses, the conclusion is that the CPD tells four different narratives at this moment: the Chinese Dream and rejuvenation discourse; the Belt and Road Initiative; China’s desire to pursue diversity and inclusivity for all in the international system; and using Xi Jinping as a popular idol. Moreover, this thesis shows that the clips fit in the longer tradition of Chinese political communication in the form of visual tifa.Show less
This thesis is concerned with the narrative on peaceful Korean reunification and the efforts of the North Korean regime to shape this narrative through online pro-North Korea websites. The thesis...Show moreThis thesis is concerned with the narrative on peaceful Korean reunification and the efforts of the North Korean regime to shape this narrative through online pro-North Korea websites. The thesis consists of an original case study research of pro-North Korea online newspaper Minjok T’ongshin and how it uses the concept of the Korean minjok to shape the narrative on peaceful Korean reunification. The thesis should conclude with a controversial answer to the following research question: what role does the concept of the Korean minjok play in the shaping of the South Korean narrative on peaceful Korean reunification by Minjok T’ongshin during the Kim Jong Un regime, and can it achieve the peaceful reunification that is envisioned?Show less
It has been five years since Xi Jinping introduced the concept of ‘Chinese Dream’ and it is still a hot topic, also online. While some scholars regarded this new concept of the Chinese Dream as a...Show moreIt has been five years since Xi Jinping introduced the concept of ‘Chinese Dream’ and it is still a hot topic, also online. While some scholars regarded this new concept of the Chinese Dream as a positive development for China, others considered it as a rather strategic narrative of the CCP to influence the image of China domestically and international (Boc, 2015; Callahan, 2015; Mahoney, 2013; Lu, 2015; Wang, 2016). However, most academic researches concluded that the concept ‘Chinese Dream’ is rather vague and does not imply for who it is meant (Li, 2015). As bloggers are also a part of the ‘citizen intellectuals’ that can reshape the future of China, I analyzed the blogposts of common users on the microblogging platform Sina Weibo and how they perceive this concept (Callahan, 2013; Gleiss, 2015). This thesis concludes that even though the government gives space to talk about the Chinese Dream, the narrative online is still lead by the Chinese government rhetoric.Show less
This thesis explores the cyclical construction and reproduction of neo-orientalist discourse in the post-9/11 world order, through a qualitative case study comparing and contrasting selected...Show moreThis thesis explores the cyclical construction and reproduction of neo-orientalist discourse in the post-9/11 world order, through a qualitative case study comparing and contrasting selected content from the British tabloid-style newspaper Mail Online, and the militant organization Daesh’s propaganda magazines Dabiq and Rumiyah. Analysis concerns a sample of articles highlighting dichotomies between the conceptual blocs of “Western Civilization” and “Islamic Civilization”; specifically the representation of Daesh on both sides of the discursive equation as a neo-orientalized entity, thereby arguably re-enforcing conceptions of Islam as an inherently barbaric, medieval, and threatening culture and religion. Based on the samples analyzed, this thesis uncovers a self-perpetuating cycle of neo-orientalist representation of Daesh, identifiable on a micro scale in its own publications as well as the British news publication. Similarities concerning the representation of Daesh in the scrutinized samples are identified and deemed problematic, opening discussion into the realm of the ethics and responsibility of contemporary journalism.Show less
During the first years of the Cold War propaganda became the quintessential tool with which the US government implemented on a national level to sway the public into accepting the nuclear arms race...Show moreDuring the first years of the Cold War propaganda became the quintessential tool with which the US government implemented on a national level to sway the public into accepting the nuclear arms race. Through the use of the fifth anti-communism fifth news filter of the propaganda model which was developed by Edward S. Herman’s and Noam Chomsky one can come to understand the winning recipe behind the US domestic propaganda wide-reaching influences between 1945 and 1968. By spreading anti-communism, soothing language, and disinformation the American people were reminded of the price of failure in the nuclear arms race. This parallel to a war on ideas virtually obliging the populace to favor a spending shift from education and other civil services to defense spending and nuclear production. By imprinting the ideological and cultural superiority of American values and the tyrannical intentions of the Soviet Union, domestic propaganda warned Americans against communist indoctrination and restricted artistic freedom. Additionally, through the print media, education, television, and film the Cold War was presented as an epic, but losing struggle between American freedom and Soviet tyranny. Movie producers, magazines, news broadcasters, and artists were financed by governmental organizations to propagate strong messages of American ideologies such as freedom and create a nationwide anti-communist sentiment aimed to justify the increased nuclear spending that was diverted from public resources. Those who objected to the US government’s actions were diagnosed as extremists or pro-Soviets and were targeted by the state and society alike.Show less
