Presenter(s): Zoe Haakenstad
Faculty Mentor(s): Julianne Newton & Nicole Dahmen
Oral Session 4 M
The dawn of 2016 saw the end to what is considered by many scholars as one of the longest- lasting and harshest population policies in the world. From 1979 1o 2016, China enforced the one-child policy (OCP), which limited the number of children couples were able to conceive. The policy, which was popularized through a variety of propaganda campaigns throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, had far-reaching effects, some of which continue to ripple through China today. This research looks at the effects of propaganda posters on the dissemination of China’s population control ideas, particularly through the lens of visual persuasion theory. I analyze three propaganda posters from the mid-70s, provided by the University of Oregon Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. I utilize semiology and discourse analysis to identify specific persuasive elements of the posters, such as color, spatial layout, representation of people, and language. Together, these qualities better illustrate both the intensity and the persuasive value of the OCP propaganda. I ask the following questions of my research: What is the role of propaganda posters in suggesting certain ideologies about China’s OCP? How does scholarship on visual persuasion and propaganda inform the functions of China’s OCP propaganda posters? What commonalities and differences did I notice among the three posters I viewed? Rather than take a stance on the ethicality of China’s OCP, this research looks at the relationship between visual persuasion, population policy, and the ideas made noticeable through propaganda posters. As a child born under the OCP, this research is also important to better understand the historical contexts during which my biological parents conceived and relinquished me as a baby. The decisions made by many parents under the OCP were inextricably tied to larger economic, social, and political projects that failed to consider the long-term effects the policy would have on not only on Chinese society but also the world. Thus, this research centers the function of visual persuasion and propaganda to expand on one of the mechanisms that made such an impactful policy achievable.