Unit 3.6: Content and Contextual Analysis of Selected Primary Sources - Political Cartoons PDF

UNIT 3: CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED PRIMARY SOURCES Marjorie Ablanido-Maido Social Science Department Iloilo Science and Technology University ALFRED MCCOY AND ALFREDO ROCES’ POLITICAL CARICATURES OF THE AMERICAN ERA...

UNIT 3: CONTENT AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED PRIMARY SOURCES Marjorie Ablanido-Maido Social Science Department Iloilo Science and Technology University ALFRED MCCOY AND ALFREDO ROCES’ POLITICAL CARICATURES OF THE AMERICAN ERA 1900-1941  Ang Kasaysayan ay Nakalimbag sa Karikatura At the end of the unit, the students must have: 1. Analyzed the context, content, and perspective of different kinds of primary sources; 2. Examined the author’s main arguments and points of view; 3. Critiqued the credibility of the primary source’ 4. Determined the materiality of the source to Philippine history. The Cartoon as a Historical Source ▪ Spielman (as cited in Kemnitz 1973) avers that cartoons must not be considered merely as a comic or a satirical comment on the main occurrence or situation of the week, but as contemporary history for the use of future generations. WHO IS ALFRED W. MCCOY? Education B.A. in European History, Columbia College M.A. in Asian Studies, University of California-Berkeley Ph.D. in Southeast Asian history, Yale - Focused on the history of modern empires, Philippine political history and global opium trafficking. - teaching interests include: Modern Philippine social and political history; U.S. foreign policy; colonial empires in Southeast Asia; global illicit drug trafficking; and CIA covert operations. WHO IS ALFREDO ROCES? Education Elementary - St. Mary's College in 1946 High School – Far Eastern University, graduated in 1950 College – University of Notre Dame, Bachelor of Fine Arts, graduated 1954 - Also attended the Arts Students' League of New York in the years 1955 - 1956 with the well-known German Dadaist, George Grosz, as his mentor. POLITICAL CARTOONS ▪ are a rather recent art form, which veered away from the classical art by exaggerating human features and poking fun at its subjects. ▪ Cartoon became an effective tool of publicizing opinions through heavy use of symbolism, which is different from a verbose written editorial and opinion pieces. ▪ Alfred McCoy, together with Alfred Roces, compiled political cartoons published in newspaper dailies and periodicals in his book Philippine Cartoons: Political Caricature of the American Era (1900 – 1941). POLITICAL CARTOONS ▪ are vivid primary sources that offer intriguing and entertaining insights into the public mood, the underlying cultural assumptions of an age, and attitudes toward key events or trends of the times. ▪ Since the 18th century, political cartoons have offered a highly useful window into the past. Just about every school history textbook now has its quota of political cartoons. ▪ Yet some studies reveal that substantial percentages of adults fail to understand the political cartoons in their daily newspaper. ▪ How much harder then must it be for young people to make sense of cartoons from the distant past? The stark, simple imagery of many cartoons can be highly deceptive (Burack 2018). POLITICAL CARTOONS ▪ The best cartoons express real conceptual complexity in a single drawing and a few words. ▪ Cartoons from the 1700s and 1800s often employ archaic language, elaborate dialogue, and obscure visual references. It takes a good deal of knowledge of the precise historical context to grasp such cartoons. ▪ In short, political cartoons employ complex visual strategies to make a point quickly in a confined space. Teachers must help students master the language of cartoons if they are to benefit from these fascinating sources of insight into our past (Burack 2018).  LET US EXAMINE SOME POLITICAL CARTOONS PUBLISHED BY MCCOY AND ROCES Without knowing anything about the event, can we be able to analyze the context and content of these cartoons? WHAT IS THE CONTEXT OF THE CARTOON ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE? ▪ April 30, 1937 (Plebiscite for women’s suffrage) ▪ 447,725 women or 91% of all eligible voters voted for women’s suffrage. ▪ It is an overwhelming victory. ▪ Filipino women convinced the National Assembly to approve Woman’s Suffrage Bill, granting them the right to vote. ▪ Women’s struggle for suffrage started in 1905 ▪ A middle-class woman named Concepcion Felix Roque – Asociacion Feminista Filipina, including Rizal’s sister Trinidad. ▪ By 1906 there was another feminist organization in the Phils. ▪ Asociacion Feminista Ilongga ▪ Founder: Purificacion Garcia Villanueva (married to Teodoro M. Kalaw) CONTENT ANALYSIS EXERCISE Based on the cartoon in the previous slide, let us ▪ Identify the characters, symbols, and objects you see in the cartoon. ▪ Look for additional clues and meanings. ▪ Identify the main idea of the cartoon through the caption and by interpreting the message in your own words. ▪ Examine if the cartoonist holds some biases. ▪ Let us adopt Burack’s Cartoon Analysis Checklist https://teachinghistory.org/sites/default/files/2018-08/Cartoon_Analysis_0.pdf CONTENT ANALYSIS EXERCISE Specific questions we need to answer: ▪ What issue or event inspired the cartoon? ▪ Do you need some background knowledge to understand the cartoon? If yes, what is this about? ▪ Are there “real” people drawn in the cartoon? If yes, what are their roles? ▪ Did the cartoonist use caricatures (some exaggeration or striking characteristic to convey an important idea)? ▪ If there are symbols in the cartoon, what do they represent? ▪ What is the sentiment or opinion of the cartoonist to the topic he drew? ▪ Has the caption gave a better understanding of the topic at hand? ▪ Do you agree or disagree with the cartoonist’s point of view? Why? LET US TRY THE FOLLOWING CARTOONS ▪ Remember we will be analyzing the cartoons in the succeeding slides following the guide questions we previously used and Burack’s Cartoon Analysis Checklist. ▪ Later on, we will analyze cartoons relevant to the present time where you are more knowledgeable about its context. LET US TRY WITH THE RECENT POLITICAL CARTOONS Kindly raise your hand to be acknowledged if you want to discuss any of the cartoons. REFLECTIVE POINTS ▪ Do you find it easier to analyze the last two cartoons compared to the other cartoons? ▪ Why do you think so? ▪ What should you do to better analyze political cartoons that are drawn a century ago?  THE END THANK YOU See you next meeting! REFERENCES ▪ Alfred McCoy & Alfredo Roces Political Caricatures of the American Era. ▪ Burack (2018) Interpreting Political Cartoons in the History Classroom. ▪ Kemnitz, Thomas Milton (1973) The Cartoon as a Historical Source. The Journal of Interdisciplinary History 4 (1): 81-93.