Political Cartoons as Visual Commentaries: The Illustrated History of America

Political cartoons can be interpreted as visual commentaries that can help us understand the events and issues, the debates that have shaped the history of the United States.

Political cartoonists have covered a wide range of topics via their thought-provoking illustrations during various moments in American history. Some of these cartoons might be candid, educational, satirical, funny, and even puzzling, but generally, all of them are sharply observant of the changes in American society and politics. During the interactive class we will take a look at political cartoons as a medium, as a visual commentary, but also as the illustrated history of America, reflecting on the work of some prominent political cartoonists from various eras. In order to foster and encourage critical thinking, the illustrations will be analyzed in their historical context in order to discuss their intended meaning and message, and how they reflect the given time period. We will analyze and discuss selected cartoons together, and will also formulate captions for some of the works.

Lecturer: Dániel Cseh is a Senior Assistant Professor at the Department of American Studies, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE). He finished his MA studies, receiving his Philologist in English Language and Literature and Philologist in American Studies degree from ELTE in 2010. He  completed his Ph.D. studies in 2020 at the Modern and Contemporary World History Doctoral Program, ELTE. His current field of research focuses on the forced exclusion and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.