Propaganda, Politics, and International Division: The Role of the Postage Stamp

Postage stamps act primarily as receipts for the prepayment of postal charges. They have developed a secondary role as miniature messengers of social, health and political communications. There has been an increasing scholarly interest in the non-philatelic role played by stamps with publications directed at a range of topics ranging from political transition to religious propaganda. What has not been studied in detail, are postage stamps as a medium for the communication of political messages in times of international division and conflict and what attributes postage stamps possess to fulfil this role. The aim of this thesis is to address this gap in the literature. The initial approach is to pose two research questions relating to stamps and international division. The first inquiries into the range of international disputes that postage stamps been involved in, and the second question asks what semiotic characteristics were to be found on the stamps associated with international disputes. Case study research methodology is used and a thematic analysis performed. The findings of this study reveal that postage stamps are used to deliver political messages in a wide range of international disputes. These include border, boundary, and territorial claims and altercations and any subsequent associated strife. A further role for stamps is in the response to unilateral military attacks, the stamps issued to inform the wider world of the injured party’s plight. In terms of major conflict and warfare stamps have been and still are used as propaganda agents by one or both of the combatants. In this situation the messages are directed at supporting the home population and or directed at the enemy. In the studied stamps, the semiotic techniques used in the designs were varied. A common method was to use map images or map representation on stamps that were concerned with territorial or boundary disputes or claims. Photographs were widely used to support political claims and especially in highly charged situations like that in Kashmir. Textual messages were usually, but not always, added to those stamps carrying graphic or specific symbolic messages. Designs appropriate to the small size and area available for the message and these are important factors. The case methodology used in this study permits the conclusion that postage stamps have been and still are a potent method of delivering political messages at times of international dispute.