An Anatomy of Satirical Cartoons in Contemporary Vietnam

Political Communication and Representations of Systemic Corruption in a One-party State

Bibliographic Data

ID12349268
AuthorsT M Ho (0000-0002-4432-9081, Phenikaa University), Joseph Progler (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University), Q H Vuong (0000-0003-0790-1576, Phenikaa University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume45
Issue4
Pages711-728
Publication date2021-06-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Studies Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1035-7823 • E-ISSN: 1467-8403
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10357823.2021.1932743
OpenAlexW3176749365
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited47

Satirical cartooning in Vietnam is subject to a complex dynamic: an increasingly liberalised and internationalised economy, and the rise of social media in a one-party state. This article examines what state-sanctioned satirical cartoons can reveal about the representation and management of political criticism in such a context. We find a growing trend of depicting corruption as a systemic problem, which is present in 45 per cent of the sample and in 70 per cent of the 20 most-viral cartoons in one of Vietnam’s most popular magazines, Tuoi Tre Cuoi (Youth Humour). This trend can be interpreted as a change in the sensibility of audiences and a shift toward a more tolerant media landscape. The trend, however, may also be a worrying sign of the dual dangers of cynicism in Vietnamese politics: the development of apathy among audiences and the cynical use of art by authorities. Despite these concerns, we argue, political cartoons in Vietnam provide an important public avenue for collective political reflection and everyday social solidarity

Context (archaeology · Criticism · Cynicism · Language change · Literature · Media studies · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Solidarity · State (computer science · Vietnamese · Chinese history and philosophy · Gender Studies · History · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Law · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies