Drawn too extreme : an examination of the satire and the representations of the other in the works of Kurt Westergaard and Zapiro

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Using as a starting point Voltaire's statement 'I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it, coupled with an emphasis on the contrary standpoint that a little censorship and regulation of expression is unavoidable, this thesis seeks to examine the state of global democracy and its freedom of expression. Through the contextualisation and analysis of Kurt Westergaard and Zapiro's editorial cartoons, the thesis seeks to discuss some of the issues raised in connection with these texts. It contends that the media driven 'Clash of Civilisations informs not only the role of the editorial cartoonist in the 21st century, but is a gauge of the world-wide geopolitical climate. This thesis aims to provide an in-depth examination of how and why these two cartoon crises came to be catalysts in a discussion of integration and transformation of cultures. By studying the genre of editorial cartooning, and drawing on the contrasting ideas of Samuel Huntington and Edward Said, the thesis attempts an analysis of the discourses and binary oppositions that have been the reactions to the cartoon crises involving the works of Kurt Westergaard and Zapiro. Ultimately the thesis challenges the binary oppositions of the 'West and the 'Rest and argues that, whilst editorial cartooning can play an important part in a radical democratic society, integration and transformation must work through respectful inclusion into multicultural societies.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University