Reflection: 30/06/21

Engaging with caricatures from the Stuttgarter Zeitung has been a unique way of learning more about how both national and global politics are perceived. Through combining my research with everyday experiences and conversations, I have gained a more nuanced understanding of prevalent themes and attitudes in Germany. Of course, there is a huge spectrum of political opinions within every country, and one should always be careful not to generalise. One should also be aware that satire is a form of media like any other, and is not necessarily truer or more reliable than other sources. Nevertheless, the caricatures I have studied so far have revealed many interesting perspectives on a range of themes, as well as offering points of comparison with attitudes in England.

Predictably, the caricatures I have collected have been heavily weighted towards the coronavirus pandemic, which I initially felt to be a disadvantage. However, I now believe that it makes this blog even more valuable, as it reflects a year of truly unique political and social circumstances. Ironically, those circumstances have also meant that I have been unable to fulfil the goals I set out when I planned this project. I had hoped to supplement the caricatures from the Stuttgarter Zeitung with posts about caricature throughout German history, through travelling to museums and galleries to find out more about how the role of caricature has endured and evolved. Although this has unfortunately not been possible within the timespan of this project, I still hope to broaden my knowledge in this area in the future, and to maintain the awareness of the political climate in Germany which I have gained through the creation of this blog.