War remote from physical contact: the ideology, form and strategy in Chinese and Japanese visual propaganda during WWII

During WWII, unlike radio programming, electronic visual media were not widely popular in Chinese and Japanese citizens’ personal lives. However, visual print media provided sources from which both government and civilian organizations could develop effective platforms for publicity and propaganda. In this project, I would visit Japan and China to retrieve war period visual media products such as Japanese Manga, Kamishibai, as well as Chinese Manhua produced by Manhua resistance artists during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression. By accessing such materials, I would reveal war period China and Japan’s contrasting ideologies, their functions and the dichotomy of their audiences’ responses to wartime Manhua, Manga and Kamishibai. During the process of gathering war time visual media products, I have become aware of the significance of connecting the “past” and “present” to acquire a clearer cognizance of the bilateral relationship between China and Japan. Hence, I would follow my passion through research in Japan and utilize my language and research abilities to share my findings with those who also have an enduring interest in the Sino-Japanese relationship.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sharalyn Orbaugh

Student:

Partner:

Waseda University

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: