A Multimodal Semiotic Analysis of Cartoons on the US and Russian Relations under the Barack Obama and Donald Trump Administrations

Abstract

The objective of this project is to analyze the political cartoons created by Indian artist Paresh Nath in order to uncover the similarities and differences between the way in which the US-Russian relationship was depicted during the Trump and Obama administrations. The framework used for analysis is Multimodal Social Semiotics. The artefacts are cartoon representations of the most important events that influenced the interaction between both countries in each administration. The purpose of this work is to apply the chosen framework to discover the cartoonist’s use of symbolism and metaphorical representations to make reference to the political reality presented in his cartoons, and how these representations are connected to his motivation and background. Additionally, this thesis seeks to identify the role that political cartoons play in reflecting a critical view of contemporary issues.