Posters. Propaganda and Persuasion in Election Campaigns Around the World and Through History [Paperback]

Steven A. Seidman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0820486167 | ISBN-13: 978-0820486161 | Publication Date: September 2, 2008

How effective are election campaign posters? Providing a unique political history, this book traces the impact that these posters as well as broadsides, banners, and billboards have had around the world over the last two centuries. It focuses on the use of this campaign material in the United States, as well as in France, Great Britain, Germany, South Africa, Japan, Mexico, and many other countries. The book examines how posters evolved and discusses their changing role in the twentieth century and thereafter; how technology, education, legislation, artistic movements, advertising, and political systems effected changes in election posters and other campaign media, and how they were employed around the world. This comprehensive and original overview of this campaign material includes the first extensive review of the research literature on the topic. Posters, Propaganda, and Persuasion will be useful to scholars and students interested in communications, politics, history, advertising and marketing, art history, and graphic design.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Steven A. Seidman has written an exemplary study of the political poster as a medium of propaganda in different societies and eras. The historical sweep is monumental ranging from American presidential campaigns of the early nineteenth century to contemporary political campaigns in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Underpinned by meticulous research, the author provides compelling evidence of the effectiveness of the political poster and how it has influenced public opinion and behavior. This important and beautifully illustrated book is quite simply the best study of the modern political poster that I have read. --David Welch, Professor of Modern History and Director of the Centre for the Study of Propaganda and War, University of Kent, England

"Steven A. Seidman rekindles my own memories as a college student of trying to convince people to put a poster in their windows, a bumper sticker on their cars, or a sign on their lawns. More important, he provides an insightful analysis of the historical importance of these forms of media that will serve as a basis for scholarship on the past to give us a glimpse into the future." --Christopher Harper, Associate Professor, Temple University

"Steven A. Seidman rekindles my own memories as a college student of trying to convince people to put a poster in their windows, a bumper sticker on their cars, or a sign on their lawns. More important, he provides an insightful analysis of the historical importance of these forms of media that will serve as a basis for scholarship on the past to give us a glimpse into the future." --Christopher Harper, Associate Professor, Temple University

About the Author

Steven A. Seidman received his Ph.D. in instructional systems technology from Indiana University, Bloomington. Since 1984, he has been on the faculty of the Roy H. Park School of Communications of Ithaca College, where he is a professor of communication management and design and currently Chair of the Department of Strategic Communication. Among his many published works are articles in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, the Journal of Visual Literacy, the International Journal of Instructional Media, and Educational Technology Research & Development.

Product Details

• Paperback: 345 pages
• Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820486167
• ISBN-13: 978-0820486161
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #704,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven A. Seidman was born in New York City in 1946. He was a public school teacher there for eight years, and has taught college and university students for thirty years. Dr. Seidman teaches two online courses--on political campaign imagery and political campaign communication--at Ithaca College, as well as a graduate course on communication campaigns there. He received his Ph.D. in instructional systems technology from Indiana University, Bloomington in 1984. Dr. Seidman is professor of communication management and design and formerly chair of the Department of Strategic Communication of Ithaca College's Roy H. Park School of Communication. His interest in election campaigns began when President Dwight D. Eisenhower paraded through his neighborhood in 1956, and he received a poster celebrating Ike's sixty-sixth birthday. An interest in the politics of other countries commenced during a visit to Chile in 1970, when he witnessed the campaign that culminated in the election of Salvador Allende. Dr. Seidman spent four years researching and writing this book. In 2010, it won the Park Faculty Writing Award. He also was presented with the International Visual Literacy Association's Research Award in 2010--only the ninth recipient of this honor in the past twenty years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Look at Visual Rhetoric, October 5, 2009

By 

E. Brumberger (Blacksburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Posters. Propaganda and Persuasion in Election Campaigns Around the World and Through History (Paperback)

This is an excellent book, carefully researched, well-written, and informative. Seidman gives readers a fascinating look at the history of visual campaign materials, both in the US and internationally. An abundance of visual examples illustrate the text and demonstrate not only trends but also cultural differences.

As a scholarly book, Posters, Propaganda, and Persuasion is quite accessible for advanced undergraduates and equally suitable for inclusion in a graduate-level course. Students of visual rhetoric and political science, in particular, will benefit from reading Seidman's book. Outside of the classroom, anyone with an interest in poster design, political communication, or rhetoric more broadly will enjoy the book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something For Everyone, December 1, 2008

By 

Steve Gordon (Ithaca, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Posters. Propaganda and Persuasion in Election Campaigns Around the World and Through History (Paperback)

This is more than just a pretty book about art, or graphics; much more. Seidman manages to give a fascinating glimpse of history throughout much of the world, done so deftly through a lense of political persuasion and social movements. Of course, there are abundant amounts of incredible and often beautiful posters; I marked over 20 of them, trying to find my favorite, and each time "topping" a previous selection. I was particularly intrigued by the audaciousness of the British and French offerings, some sinking (or rising?) to shockingly caustic negativity that makes our modern campaign propaganda seem tame. It was fascinating to see the strategy of poster design and distribution in countries where political television advertising is restricted. There is also plenty of good insight into our own political marketing system and how modern media has affected poster design and distribution in the U.S.

Whether you are into history, politics, rhetoric, art, graphics, or sociology, this well written work is a must read and probably one you'll return to again and again as political "machines" around the world cycle and recharge their grand election propaganda strategies.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TERRIFIC BOOK, October 24, 2008

By 

Alice Pines (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Posters. Propaganda and Persuasion in Election Campaigns Around the World and Through History (Paperback)

This is an excellent & scholarly book. It focuses on campaign posters in the U.S., but also covers other countries. Very well written & highly informative. Shows a great amount of research & thought. 5 stars.