Comics Ideology: Racism in American Comics During World War II
This thesis argues that cultural media, specifically comics, is affected by politics and that comics affect politics. This paper examines the Japanese-US. conflict during the Second World War and anti-Japanese sentiments in American society, politics, and culture to guide the argument. First, this thesis details the history of the Japanese-US. relationship and the political ideologies that served as the framework of the conflict between the two nations. Second, this paper discusses American comics during the war that discuss the conflict with Japan, layering the comics with contemporary anti-Japanese sentiments and policies in the United States. By examining and analyzing the political and ideological struggle between the two nations as well as racism in comics, this paper argues for the importance of this medium to understand the social and political environments of the time.
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