Reconstructing Colonialism: Graphic Layout and Design, and the Construction of Ideology*

Abstract

Le lien entre l'image et l'idéologie est un des thèmes les plus étudiés en sociologie visuelle. Il existe néanmoins une sérieuse lacune dans notre compréhension des procédés visuels auxquels on a recours pour créer une idéologie. Cet article, au moyen d'une analyse du rôle de la juxtaposition et de l'enchaînement visuels dans la publication gouvernementale britannique The Colonies in Pictures, atteste un mécanisme jusqu'ici ignoré dans la formation de l'idéologie. Je soutiens que la publication reconstruit une idéologie coloniale britannique en faisant passer de l'ethnicitéà la culture le marqueur utilisé pour distinguer le britannique du non‐britannique. Une telle reconstruction avait été rendue nécessaire en raison du contexte historique qui a suivi la Deuxième Guerre mondiale et a permis aux Britanniques de conserver une main‐mise sur l'économie des colonies tout en leur accordant une autonomie politique. The connection between image and ideology is one of the most analysed themes in visual sociology. Despite this, there exists a serious omission in our understanding of the visual processes used to create ideology. This article, through the analysis of the role of visual juxtaposition and sequencing in the British government publication The Colonies in Pictures, documents a previously ignored mechanism for ideology formation. I argue that the publication reconstructs British colonial ideology by shifting the marker used to distinguish between British and non‐British from ethnicity to culture. Such a reconstruction was necessitated by the historical circumstances following World War II and enabled the British to retain economic control over the colonies while granting political autonomy.

From Ideology to Ideologue: How the Mormon Church Utilizes the Ideograph to Interpellate Identity

“…The transmission of ideology is widely thought to primarily occur within familial settings such as between parent and child (Davis & Wills, 2010). Many studies have analyzed the ideology formation process in a variety of situations: the British colonial period (Bowden, 2004), parent-child relationships (Davis & Wills, 2010), Native…”

From Ideology to Ideologue: How the Mormon Church Utilizes the Ideograph to Interpellate Identity

“…The transmission of ideology is widely thought to primarily occur within familial settings such as between parent and child (Davis & Wills, 2010). Many studies have analyzed the ideology formation process in a variety of situations: the British colonial period (Bowden, 2004), parent-child relationships (Davis & Wills, 2010), Native American tribes (Nofz, 1987), white supremacy (Hartzell, 2018), and the workplace (Cotter & Marschall, 2006).…”