A Semiotic Analysis of Political Cartoons in Malayalam Newspapers during the 2016 Assembly Election A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Philosophy In Media studies by Carmel Maria Jose (Reg.1730011) Under the Supervision of Pradeep Thomas J.A Assistant professor Department of Media studies CHRIST (Deemed to be University) BENGALURU, INDIA June 2019 Approval of Dissertation Dissertation entitled “A semiotic analysis of Political cartoons in Malayalam newspapers during the 2016 Assembly Election” by Carmel Maria Jose, Register Number 1730011 is approved for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Media studies. Supervisor: ______________________________________ Chairman: ______________________________________ General Research Coordinator: ______________________________________ Date: …………………….. Place: Bengaluru ii DECLARATION I, Carmel Maria Jose, hereby declare that the dissertation, titled “A semiotic analysis of political cartoons in Malayalam newspapers during the 2016 Assembly Election” is a record of original research work undertaken by me for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Media Studies. I have completed this study under the supervision of Dr. Pradeep Thomas J.A, Assistant Professor, Department of Media Studies. I also declare that this dissertation has not been submitted for the award of any degree, diploma, associateship, fellowship or other title. I hereby confirm the originality of the work and that there is no plagiarism in any part of the dissertation. Place: Bengaluru Date: ………………… Carmel Maria Jose Reg. No.1730011 Department of Media Studies CHRIST (Deemed to be University) Bengaluru iii CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the dissertation submitted by Carmel Maria Jose (Reg. No1730011) titled “A semiotic analysis of political cartoons in Malayalam newspapers during the 2016 assembly election” is a record of research work done by her during the academic year 2017-2018 under my supervision in partial fulfillment for the award of Master of Philosophy in Media Studies. This dissertation has not been submitted for the award of any degree, diploma, associateship, fellowship or any other title. I hereby confirm the originality of the work and that there is no plagiarism in any part of the dissertation. Place: Bengaluru Date: ………………… Dr. Pradeep Thomas J.A Assistant Professor Department of Media Studies CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru Signature of the Head of the Department Department of Media Studies CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am immensely grateful for the everlasting love and grace of the Almighty God for granting me wisdom and guiding me to complete this study successfully. I would like to thank Dr (Fr) Abraham V M, Vice- Chancellor, Christ University, Bengaluru for giving me the opportunity to pursue research and facilitating me to complete my study. I thank Mr. Padmakumar, Head of the Department of Media Studies for being always approachable, understanding and infusing positivity that motivated me to persist in my endeavours with conviction that has enabled me to complete my thesis. I express my sincere thanks to my guide and supervisor Dr. Pradeep Thomas J.A Department of Media studies, Christ University, Bengaluru for his constant supervision, mentoring and valuable inputs throughout the course of my study. I thank the department of Media Studies for taking time out and guiding my thesis at every stage. I have been able to build my thesis with all your valuable insights. I sincerely thank all my M.Phil. professors for their constant help and guidance. I express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Sukumaran Potti (Chairman, Kerala Cartoon Academy), Mr. Baiju Paulose (Staff Cartoonist, Malayala Manorama), Unnikrishnan K (Chief Sub Editor, Mathrubhumi), V R Rajesh (cartoonist, Madhyamam), T.K Sujith (staff cartoonist, Keralakaumudi) and Satish Acharya, renowned Indian cartoonist for taking part in the study and giving valuable contribution for the study. Finally, I am thankful to my parents, brother and my friends for their constant encouragement, moral support, continuous inspiration and prayers to carry out this dissertation successfully. Carmel Maria Jose (investigator) v ABSTRACT Political cartoons act as a powerful communication tool that combines artistic skills like sarcasm, irony, humour, and wit to raise questions against authority and draw public attention towards political happenings and social ills. Political cartoons exist within a dichotomy between fact and fiction. This is the power of the political cartoons and brings together fantasy and reality. They use fictions to present truth and this truth is created through allusions, metaphors, and associations inspired by true events, combined with the invention of an artist's imagination. The potentiality of the Political Cartoon genre increases the scope of research in this field as it expresses opinions that thousand words cannot explain. Using the theories of semiotics proposed by Roland Barthes and Charles Sanders Peirce, this study analyses the meaning generation process of Political cartoons in Malayalam newspapers of Kerala published during the campaign period of 2016 assembly elections. Semiotic analysis of two prominent newspapers in Kerala and interviews with the cartoonists of mainstream newspapers gives more insight into this study. The study contributes to the general understanding of political cartoons and how they make political statement during campaigning period in Kerala. The study also try to specify the various political themes developed during the time frame of election campaigning and its portrayal by the cartoonist. Thus, this study within the political context of Kerala increases our understanding on this political communication tool. Keywords: political communication, political cartoons, semiotic analysis, Assembly election 2016 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page No. Approval of Dissertation ii Declaration iii Certificate iv Acknowledgement v Abstract vi Table of Contents vii List of Tables x List of Figures I xiv List of Figure II xv Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 Humour and Wit 1.2 Political Cartoons 1.3 Political Cartoon in India 1.4 Political Cartoon in Kerala 1.5 Election in Kerala 1.6 Scope of the Present Study 1.7 Research Objectives 1.8 Significance of the Research 1.9 Chapter Organization vii Chapter 2: Review of Literature 7 2.1 Global Scenario 2.2 Political Cartooning in the Indian Context 2.3 Political Cartooning in Kerala 2.4 Studies on Semiotic Analysis 2.5 Political Cartooning and Election Campaign 2.6 Research done on Political Cartoons 2.7 Research Gap Chapter 3: Theoretical Framework 21 3.1 Charles Sandra Pierce theory on semiotics 3.2 Roland Barthes Theory of Semiotics 3.3 Intertextuality 3.4 Enthymeme 3.5 Incongruity Theory Chapter 4: Methodology 25 4.1 Introduction 4.1.1 Kerala 4.1.2 Time Frame 4.1.3 Newspaper Selection 4.1.4 Unit of Analysis 4.2 Methods of Study 4.2.1 Semiotics viii 4.2.2 Interviews 4.3 Research Design 4.3.1 Semiotics 4.3.2 Interview 4.3.3 Data Collection 4.4 Conclusion Chapter 5: Data Analysis and Discussion 32 5.1 Introduction 5.2 General Analysis 5.3 Findings and Discussions 5.3.1 Pattern Analysis 5.3.2 Comparative Analysis 5.4 Expert Interviews 5.5 Findings Chapter 6: Conclusion 234 References 239 Appendix I Appendix II ix Table No. List of Tables Page No. 5.2.1 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 33 16th April ,2016 5.2.2 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 36 17th April ,2016 5.2.3 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 40 18th April ,2016 5.2.4 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 45 19th April ,2016 5.2.5 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 48 20th April ,2016 5.2.6 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 51 21st April ,2016 5.2.7 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 55 22nd April ,2016 5.2.8 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 57 23rd April ,2016 5.2.9 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 61 24th April ,2016 5.2.10 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 66 25th April ,2016 5.2.11 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 70 26th April ,2016 5.2.12 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 73 27th April ,2016 5.2.13 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 76 28th April ,2016 x 5.2.14 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 80 29th April ,2016 5.2.15 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 85 30th April ,2016 5.2.16 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 90 1st May ,2016 5.2.17 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 94 3rd May ,2016 5.2.18 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 99 4th May ,2016 5.2.19 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 102 5th May ,2016 5.2.20 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 106 6th May ,2016 5.2.21 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 110 7th May ,2016 5.2.22 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 113 8th May ,2016 5.2.23 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 116 9th May ,2016 5.2.24 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 118 10th May ,2016 5.2.25 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 122 11th May ,2016 5.2.26 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 125 12th May ,2016 5.2.27 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 128 13th May ,2016 5.2.28 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 131 14th May ,2016 xi 5.2.29 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 134 15th May ,2016 5.2.30 Visual Analysis of Mathrubhumi Cartoon: 137 16th May ,2016 5.2.31 Visual Analysis of Malayala Manorama 140 Cartoon: 16th April ,2016 5.2.32 Visual Analysis of Malayala Manorama 143 Cartoon: 17th April ,2016