A Semiotic Study of Contemporary Middle Eastern Internal Dilemmas in Arab News Cartoons

Abstract

Many parts of the Middle Eastern region have a history of persistent and long-term crises. The media, and particularly the news media, endeavors to highlight these issues in various forms. One established format among them is caricatures, or cartoonish representations, which retain a visually captivating quality for the intended audience. Undeniably, cartoons depict the bitter realities in candid yet convincing forms. In this regard, the present study aims to analyze the Arab News cartoons that depict the internal predicaments faced by the selected Middle Eastern countries. The primary objective of this study is to examine the intricate relationship between semiotics and socio-political intricacies in the selected regions. This study employs Barthes’ semiotic lens theory to investigate the methods employed by the cartoonist in conveying messages, creating narratives, and interacting with the socio-political environment. The results reveal that the caricatured representations effectually depict several underlying causes and conflicts that fuel the internal chaotic situation inside the region, using signs, symbols, and pictorial rhetoric. These findings help in understanding the essence of the challenges faced by the chosen Middle Eastern nations quite meritoriously. At the same time, the results endorse cartoons as an authentic medium for discussing such harsh realities.