The Colonization of Cartoon in Nineteenth-Century East Asia (Kin-Wai Chu) & ‘Comics for a Better Life’: Social Realist Comics for Children in 1970s-80s Thailand (Nicolas Verstappen)
3 July 2024, 16:00-17:30 - KU Leuven, Erasmushuis (Blijde Inkomstraat 21, 3000 Leuven), room 03.15
The Colonization of Cartoon in Nineteententury East Asia
Kin-Wai Chu, Ghent University
The 19th century witnessed the meteoric ascent of print journalism, a phenomenon intricately woven into the fabric of the industrial revolution, imperialism, and colonialism. Cartoons, as a form of graphic satire, have long been a significant form of journalism and a barometer of press freedom. The term ‘cartoon’ was coined after the British illustrated satirical magazine Punch or The London Charivari (1841-1992, 1996-2002) which was itself inspired by the Paris-based La Charivari (1832-1937). Punch became a template for satirical magazines across the vast expanse of British Empire in the late nineteenth century, leading to the births of dozens of unofficial Asian offshoots, such as the Hong Kong-based The China Punch (1867-68, 1872-75) and the Yokohama-based The Japan Punch (1862-1898). These satirical cartoons could aptly evade press censorship with wit and artistry, albeit not without struggles. Continue la lecture
