An Anatomy of Satirical Cartoons in Contemporary Vietnam: Political Communication and Representations of Systemic Corruption in a One-party State

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 politica...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Asian studies review 2021-10, Vol.45 (4), p.711-728
Main Authors: Ho, Manh-Tung, Progler, Joseph, Vuong, Quan-Hoang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apathy
Audiences
Cartoons
Corruption
Criticism
Cynicism
discursive pre-emption
Mass media
Political communication
Political parties
Political representation
political satire
Social media
Vietnam
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1035-7823
1467-8403
DOI:10.1080/10357823.2021.1932743