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The Iconic Photograph and Its Political Space: The Case of Tiananmen Square, 1989

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Media and the Cold War in the 1980s

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media ((PSHM))

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Abstract

This chapter will attempt to set out the context within which iconic images have been deployed, with particular reference to photographs taken during and after the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989. The paper will argue that there is a clear intentionality to the way in which some photographs gain ascendancy in the media and within public space, in a process that is organized and effective, lending force to, or accelerating the natural rhetorical power of, the image.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the many eyewitnesses and fellow travelers who have come forward with their views and memories of the tragic events of June 1989. Special thanks go to Charlie Cole and John Gittings for insightful comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. Any errors remain my own.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Volda University College, Volda, Norway

    Stuart Franklin

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  1. Stuart Franklin
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Volda University College, Volda, Norway

    Henrik G. Bastiansen

  2. New York University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Martin Klimke

  3. Volda University College, Volda, Norway

    Rolf Werenskjold

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Franklin, S. (2019). The Iconic Photograph and Its Political Space: The Case of Tiananmen Square, 1989. In: Bastiansen, H.G., Klimke, M., Werenskjold, R. (eds) Media and the Cold War in the 1980s. Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98382-0_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98382-0_14

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-98381-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-98382-0

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