Chasing Dragons

Mickey Mouse Just Said 'Yes' To Drugs and Racism in 1951

Mickey Mouse just says 'yes' to speed and racism in this 1951 comic strip entitled 'Mickey Mouse and the Medicine Man', available here.

The glorification of amphetamine use is certainly a change of pace from the strong anti-drug messages portrayed in contemporary children's media. However, I would argue that the racism is shocking not because of its message but rather because of its form. 

As the Guardian reported on 30 June, 2010 in an article entitled 'Lower IQs found in disease-rife countries', it would appear that the notion that 'natives' are stupid and lazy is an enduring stereotype nearly seven decades on. The difference is that rather then being casually asserted, it  now relies on pseudo-science and neo-Lamarkianism to provide rhetorical force and validation. It would appear therefore that the cultural production of racism may be returning to its nineteenth century eugenic roots...

Plus ca change, plus ce la meme chose?

Newcastle University Launches World Politics and Popular Culture MA Degree

I am pleased to announce that Politics at Newcastle University will be launching a new MA degree in World Politics and Popular Culture for the 2010-11 academic year. Here is the course description:

• World Politics and Popular Culture is a distinctive interdisciplinary degree programme that examines the changing dynamics of contemporary international relations in the context of the politics of the various forces shaping and shaped by popular culture. The programme focuses on key theories, policies, and events in world politics in relation to both traditional and new media. You will learn not only how to think critically about how world politics is reflected or reproduced in popular culture, but also how the politics of popular culture shape the dynamics of world politics...

The programme entails three core modules in Politics (World Politics and Popular Culture, Theories and Approaches to the Study of Politics, and a Dissertation in World Politics and Popular Culture) with 4 optional modules that can be taken from politics, cultural studies, media studies, and film.

Admission requirements are an undergraduate degree from an accredited university with at least a 2.i result--the rough equivalent in North American systems would be a B average.

Please note that 'other qualifications or relevant professional experience may also satisfy the entrance requirements. Applicants whose first language is not English require IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 575 (paper-based) or 233 (computer-based), or equivalent.'

Information on how to apply can be found here. There is no formal deadline--apart from the start of classes at the end of September--but if you are applying from overseas, securing a student visa can take several weeks depending on your circumstances.

If you'd like to talk to someone to find out more about the World Politics and Popular Culture MA, you can contact  Matt Davies, whose tremendous efforts and vision saw this through from design to implementation.

I'm also happy to field any inquiries that you may have about the programme or pursuing a MA in politics in the UK.

Disclaimer: If there are any differences between information provided here and that contained on official Newcastle University web-pages, the latter should be viewed as the authoritative source.

Collage and photo credit: DerrickT (work displayed under a Creative Commons attribution license)

The Political Cartoons of Dr. Seuss

I've recently discovered an excellent catalog of editorial cartoons drawn by Theodor Geisel--aka Dr. Seuss--while he was employed by the progressive New York Newspaper PM in the early 1940s. The catalog has been archived by Richard H. Minear from the University of Massachusetts. He has a great short write up of the cartoons here as well as a full book on the topic: Dr. Seuss Goes to War.

What is surprising and unsettling is the abject levels of racism in some of the these cartoons--particularly those depicting the Japanese and Japanese-Americans-- and how these are able to cohabit with others that condemn anti-Semitism and racism against African-Americans.

Beyond the historical value of being able to view these cartoons, the catalog also has a more general importance. It demonstrates how we as 'progressives' or 'critical' scholars also need to be constantly re-examining our own presuppositions and the kind of politics that these make possible, lest we too unwittingly condone the violence of exceptions.