Abstract
Scholars of popular geopolitics ponder how and why cultural media become important commentaries on real-world events. Cultural geographers are wrestling with technology that mediates the experience of consuming popular culture. I bring these two literatures into dialogue by explaining how audiences and animators of the popular animated cartoon Archer are linked. I begin by outlining the cultural materiality of the animated cartoon through an assemblage-based framework where Archer’s political satire emerges from the relationship between writers, audiences, animators and nonhuman animation technologies. Second, I use this framework to analyse how Archer responded to a real-world event: the rise of the Islamic State in 2014. I show how fans interpreted this decision and conclude that the geopolitical meaning of satirical cartoons – and their ability to resonate and affect audiences – should be understood as a socio-material effect that is emergent, unpredictable and relational.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 357-379 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Social and Cultural Geography |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 30 Jul 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 23 Mar 2020 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Archer
- Critical geopolitics
- materiality
- mediation
- production
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Cultural Studies