What issues do his albums raise in terms of representation of ‘race’, and particularly ethnic and cultural stereotyping?

One of the main issues with Herge’s Tintin albums, particularly early ones such as Tintin in the Congo, in relation to ethnic stereotyping, is the perpetuation of harmful tropes in both the visual art of the works and it’s narrative, including written speech. As graphic novels and comic books, by definition, combine both textual and visual narrative, they have the ability to make use of negative and harmful stereotypes of both forms. Furthermore, given the structure of comics as multiple, sequential images, providing readers with not only repeated imagery but also ‘space’ between panels in which the brain creates rapidly interprets the work, comics arguably have an even greater ability to perpetuate dangerous representations, stereotypes, and ‘othering’. (Mountfort, 2012) (Dunnett, 2009)

Using Tintin in the Congo as an example, visually, we see the Congolese people drawn in ways that fall in line with common racist caricatures of black people– with exaggerated features such as ink-black skin, overly large pink lips and bug-eyes. Given Herge’s unique and very particular style (the famous ligne-claire), it would be hard to argue that this was not a deliberate stylistic choice, and this certainty can only be bolstered by Herge’s background as both a Belgian and writer for a conservative paper that aligned with those who were supportive of Belgium’s occupation of the Congo. The depiction of the Congolese in the narrative similarly falls in line with a common black caricature of the bumbling, stupid African, in need of education by the white man. This latter point is even made explicit in the original 1930 publication (translated to English in 1991) of the album itself, when Tintin enters a classroom and proceeds to announce to the Congolese students that he is going to, ‘talk to you about your country: Belgium!’ Their written speech shows a similar depiction of the Congolese people, saying of Tintin, ‘White master very fair…! … Him very good white.’ (Herge, 1991) As with their visual representation, given the context of the rest of the album and the writer himself, it would be difficult if not impossible to argue this as a ‘stylistic’, genuine depiction of the Congolese accent and not, instead, as a caricature.

While with any text such as Tintin, this issue would be notably problematic on it’s own, it is made even more so by the position Tintin would grow to occupy in the broader media landscape. From the first stop-motion animation adaptation of The Crab with the Golden Claws in 1941 to The Adventures of Tintin directed by Steven Spielberg in 2011, with countless other adaptions, translations, and unofficial spinoff stories, Tintin would become one of the first ‘transmedia franchises’. (Mountfort, Tintin as Spectacle: The Backstory of a Popular Franchise and Late Capital, 2016) This further problematizes the issues with Herge’s ethnic stereotyping in his works as, while Tintin in the Congo certainly doesn’t have the popularity that the other albums do, the Tintin name and character alone still carries with it the global, transmedia recognition alone, and remains within the Tintin canon.

References

Dunnett, O. (2009). Identity and geopolitics in Herge’s Adventures of Tintin. Social & Cultural Geography, 583-598.

Herge. (1991). Tintin in the Congo. London: Sundancer.

Mountfort, P. (2012). ‘Yellow skin, black hair…Careful, Tintin’: Herge and Orientalism. Australasian Journal of Popular Culture, 33-49.

Mountfort, P. (2016). Tintin as Spectacle: The Backstory of a Popular Franchise and Late Capital. Journal of Asia-Pacific Pop Culture, 37-56.

What is the alleged connection between Hergé’s early comics and propaganda?

Due to Herge’s Employeer Le Pitit Vingtieme’s foriegn corrospodenent being the one to being the person to provide the familiarity and early understanding of Comics for the time period (1928), From there he went on to Found and Lead a Belgian Fascist ground called the Rexist (Mountfort, 2016). I feel we can assume from the way Leon inspired Herge in the use of the speech bubble aswell as introduced him to the latest transatlantic developments, That they were on good terms and with him being the one to provide comics for him as he started his own influences could have been transferred on to Herge. We can see this influence in his early works Tin Tin and the Congo being Belgian Colonist siding with the Racist depiction of the natives and that that it was in their best interest to be colonized i feel that this is a perfect example of Leons influence seeping into Herges Comics therefore spreading Leons rightwing propaganda whether by design of Herge himself or if he was just following what he had just assumed as normal we can clearly see the bias towards one side.

Much like how we hear that with news stations in america that they either lean one way or another and lately even in our own country we may not view it as propganda in the present but as time goes on and views change and more information comes to light we can then see that a lot of media past or present has a bias and one we may not see until either pointed out or our own personal views change.

References

Mountfort, P. (2016). Journal of Asia-Pacific Pop Culture (Vol. 1). Auckland University of Technology. https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/bbcswebdav/pid-5308427-dt-content-rid-12496222_4/institution/Papers/ENGL602/Publish/Mountfort%202016_Tintin%20as%20Spectacle%282%29.pdf

What issues do Hérge’s albums of Tintin raise in terms of representation of ‘race’, and particularly ethnic and cultural stereotyping?

Hergé may have received numerous accolades of his sensationalised works of Tintin, but his albums managed to cause controversy under the surreal depiction and representation of race, those particularly being ethnic and culturally stereotyped. Some of the though notable issues that are exemplary of critique are Tintin in the Congo, Tintin and the Blue Lotus, and Tintin in the Land of the Soviets.

In Hérge’s work of Tintin in the Congo, the native representation of the Congolese in Belgium were portrayed as stark caricatures of dark skin, ‘juju-lipped Negros’, and their speech in pidgin English (Mountfort, 2012). One scene in the illustrated issue shows Tintin resolving a fight over a straw hat, to which the Congolese rejoice with the dialogue “White master very fair…!”. This particular scene depicts implementation of civilisation that was sought as a colonialist commitment; a way to restore civility which was apparently perceived as idiocy and ignorant behaviour of the natives (Mountfort, 2012). Another dialogue of disturbance is when Tintin stands before a classroom of the Congolese and educates them about their country: Belgium; this comes as a shock as the Belgian Congo was mercilessly administered as a European colony (Mountfort, 2012). Critics posit that Hergé firmly asserted and perpetuated xenophobia through racial caricatures and dialogues thereof. Although Hergé supported his depictions with the claim of paternalistic spirit that cascaded prejudices of the Bourgeoisie, his works nonetheless remained controversial (Farr, 2001).

Hergé’s Tintin and the Blue Lotus is an exemplary classic of orientalism. For this issue, The artist collaborated with an art student namely Chang Chong-chen who attempted to resolve misconceptions of ethnic representation. In efforts to display sympathy for the Chinese during the Japanese invasion, Hergé illustrated a Chinese man whom Tintin befriends; his attempt to derive sympathy from reader audiences as well though remained less than effective as a change in perception. The shift back to apparent xenophobia was the stereotypical depiction of a Japanese man that was ‘pig-shouted’ with ‘buck teeth and visibly subhuman’ (Mountfort, 2012). Illustrations continued to perpetuate Japanese propaganda, Mukden Incident and the invasion in Manchuria that raised the stakes on Hergé’s racial depictions and political leanings (Mountfort, 2012). Hergé’s effort to counterbalance his controversial, political inclinations through invoking sympathy towards Tintin’s companion Chang were proved futile (Mountfort, 2012).

A third example of racial stereotyping by Hergé is found in the issue of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets. There is an illustration of the Englishmen being taken in by the Soviets under their propaganda, sustaining a Bolshevik Russia (Mountfort, 2012). Another illustration in the same issue portrays a voting system that is a concerted attempt to preserve the Soviet regime. Critics argued that it displayed the Soviets as unrelenting, vicious leaders under Bolshevism, a Democratic Party that seized reign in 1917; though the political misrepresentation continued in this issue. Caricatures of the Chinese made another appearance in this issue, wherein they were portrayed as pigtailed torturers in fancy robes. Evidentially supported, it can be argued that Hergé perpetuated his political inclinations, apparent xenophobia and ethnic stereotypes through several albums of Tintin.

References

Farr, Michael. Tintin: The Complete Companion. London: John Murray, 2001

Hergé. The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus. London: Methuen, 1983.

Mountfort, P. (2012). ‘Yellow skin, black hair … Careful, Tintin’: Hergé and orientalism. Australasian Journal of Popular Culture, 1(1), 33–49. https://doi.org/10.1386/ajpc.1.1.33_1 

Mountfort, P. (2020). ENGL602 Popular Genres: Lecture 2/Week: Tintin and The Blue Lotus_2019 [PowerPoint slides] AUT Blackboard. https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/

4. What issues do his albums raise in terms of representation of ‘race’, and particularly ethnic and cultural stereotyping?

Tintin is an adventure, a traveler and a hero. Interestingly his stories often overlap with foreign cultures and are set on foreign lands. Most of these lands have been colonized by European nations who are in the process of civilizing the natives.

In studying the series of Tintin adventures there are numerous depictions of either an oversimplification of race or a blatant reinforcement of the cultural stereotypes already in existence. Moreover, Tintin’s adventures are from a Euro-centric point of view and leave him in the position of the white saviour with each heroic victory. Some of his depictions of the ‘other’ seem almost are unaware of the stereotypes Hergé is reinforcing, while other Tintin serials represent race in a blatantly racist way.

The most famous early works to cause racial offence is Hergé (1930-31) Tintin in the Congo. In this serial he depicts the indigenous population as being childlike, unintelligent, with features that closely resemble Gorillas.

Other problematic depictions are of Arab people, Indians, Chinese and Japanese. Each ethnicity or culture is usually depicted as either underestimated or as needing their European Colonizers or Allies to survive. Curiously the depiction of Japanese in “The Crab with Golden Claw” is one of mutual respect for a Japanese policeman who helps Tintin unveil an international drug smuggling ring.  Whereas, the depiction of Japanese in The Golden Lotus, show Japanese people as evil, manipulative and invaders of the Chinese. This is shown with the caricature of the Japanese appearance with large oversized teeth, extremely slanted eyes and an almost pig like nose.

This change in the physical appearance of race could signal a change in Herge’s political affiliations, his new found friendship with a Chinese student, or it could be used in the popular way that villains are depicted in fairy tales. These evil doers are often portrayed with ugly, oversized features. It is worth considering this as an option in this book. Although Chang’s warning, “be careful, they are not Chinese,” may point in the direction of racism.

His later works, The Black Island (1938), his villains are of German ethnicity. They are portrayed as calculating homicidal criminals. They are drawn with thin moustaches and pursued mouths. This serial coincides with a time in history leading into World War Two when anti-German sentiment is high amongst Belguim, France and other Allies such as the British. Tintin travels through these countries on his hunt for the German Dr Mueiller. He finally tracks him down in Scotland. While in Scotland Herge again reinforces the stereotypes of the Scottish with Tintin taking on the traditional Scottish costume, wearing a kilt. Inherently, the other Scottish people are not wearing kilts in the story.

The question I’m left with; Is Hergé racist, naive or does he create art based on the political climate of the times?

References:
Dunnett, O. (2009). Identity and geopolitics in Hergé’s adventures of Tintin. Social and Cultural Geography, 10(5), 583–598. https://doi-org.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/10.1080/14649360902974449

Frey, H. (2004). Contagious colonial diseases in Hergé’s The adventures of Tintin. Modern & Contemporary France, 12(2), 177–188. https://doi-org.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/10.1080/09639480410001693043

Hergé (1930-31) Tintin in the Congo

Hergé, (1931) The Blue Lotus

Hergé (1938) The Adventures of Tintin – The Black Island

Hergé (1941) The Adventures of Tintin -The Crab with Golden Claw

Mukherjee, D. (2016). Domesticating the “Other”: An Analysis of the Appropriation of Non-Humans by Humanistic Discourse in Herge’s The Adventures of Tintin. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 8(1), 214.

Racism in Children’s Books: Tintin in the Congo. (2007). The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 56, 14.

What issues do his albums raise in terms of representation of ‘race’, and particularly ethnic and cultural stereotyping?

Within the realm of Tintin, not only has Herge managed to annoy many females, but he has also managed to gain backlash from other individuals stating that his comics show blatant racism, xenophobic themes, and ethnic/cultural stereotyping. Many of his comic volumes have landed him in deep water due to their depiction of other races and stereotypes. 

One example of plain racism and stereotyping within the Tintin universe comes from two comics titled ‘Tintin in The Land of the Soviets’, and ‘The Blue Lotus. Both of these comics look specifically at the race of people from Asia (particularly China) and show them in both xenophobic ways. In the land of the soviets, two Chinese individuals are depicted as “pigtailed torturers”. In the Blue Lotus, a specific white European character shows distaste and even hate towards a peaceful Chinese man. In one of the particular scenes, a character by the name of Thomson (or Thompson) is not looking where he is going and a rickshaw driver apologetically crashes into him. After this Thomson (Thompson) begins throwing a tantrum towards the man and even says “Dirty little China-man, to barge into a white man”. This clearly depicts racism and the idea that even though this European man is in China, all the other Chinese people must look up to him because he is better and more sophisticated. Thomson (Thompson) even goes as far as to beat up Tintin because he defended the Chinese rickshaw driver (Mountfort, 2020).

Another example of racism within the comics is the idea that all dark-skinned individuals look and act a certain way. In the famous comic, Tintin in the Congo, many of the indigenous people are depicted as having “rubbery lips” and an odd way of talking, making them seem uneducated and rather mindless (Hunt, 2002). Many of the indigenous and especially African people within the comics were also displayed as spineless slaves and in one chapter of Tintin in the Congo, they even referred to Tintin as ‘white master’ (Mountfort, 2011). This not only stereotypes the indigenous people as passive slaves, but it also depicts them as incoherent and easy to slander. 

Tintin in America is another comic that received a big amount of backlash due to the exploitation of native Americans. In one chapter of the comic, there is an uproar on the spillage of oils which brings the common white business to the native lands to mop up with the money. After that, it is shown that the native Americans are held at gunpoint and forced to leave their own lands (Ha, 2015).

References

Ha, T. T. (2015). Is Tintin Racist? Uproar in Winnipeg opens new chapter in the old argument. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/is-tintin-racist-uproar-in-winnipeg-opens-new-chapter-in-old-argument/article23552666/

Hunt, N. R. (2002). Tintin and the interruptions of Congolese comics. Images and Empires: Visuality in Colonial and Postcolonial Africa, 90-123.

Mountfort, P. (2011). ‘Yellow skin, black hair… Careful, Tintin’: Hergé and Orientalism. Australasian Journal of popular culture, 1(1), 33-49.Mountfort, P. (2020).

ENGL602 Tintin and the Blue Lotus [PowerPoint slides]. Blackboard. https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz/

Question 4: What issues do his albums raise in terms of representation of ‘race’, and particularly ethnic and cultural stereotyping?

Hergé’s representation of ‘race’, and particularly ethnic and cultural stereotyping have often been controversial and got him into hot water with accusations of racism and bigotry amongst other criticisms. 

His provocative racial, ethnic and cultural depictions began very early on in his career. For example, in 1934, in the Nazi edition of The Shooting Star there is a stereotypically depicted Jewish character called Blumenstein. The character is now known as Bohlwinkel but little else has been changed around the crude stereotypes he is portrayed as conforming to (Frey, 2004). 

Another example given to us by Frey (2004), is how Hergé represents indigenous people and culture in some of his albums. For example, in ‘Tintin and the Temple of the Sun’, despite the Europeans explorers being historically responsible for stealing artefacts and other items, exploiting the indigenous populations, and countless other atrocities, Hergé focuses on portraying the Indigenous Incas as responsible for infecting the Europeans with a sickness. The Europeans save themselves from the sickness by using science which shows them as superior and as more advanced.  

Moreover, the only deaths that occur in that album are of the Incas not of any of the European characters. These scenes are to show that the Incas got what they deserved for trying to hurt the Europeans and the Europeans are painted as victims and heroes for surviving against the odds. This is a typical example of Europeans’ views of colonialism at the time and the perceived minimal importance of Indigenous people’s lives compared to their own (Frey, 2004). 

These xenophobic themes are reflected in many of his other albums as well. A famous example of both colonialism and the racist representation of native people is Hergé’s ‘Tintin in the Congo’. He drew his native African characters as caricatured ‘juju lipped Negroes’ which was a popular European depiction at the time. Along with his racist characterisation of native Africans Hergé projected his colonialist views into the album as well, presenting native Africans as untrustworthy, lazy, and childlike to state a few (Mountfort, 2012). 

There are two defining scenes in this album that also shows how ignorant Hergé was about the Belgian occupation of the Congo. The first scene is one in which Tintin mediates a fight between two native Africans over a straw hat. He ‘resolves’ this issue by splitting the hat in half in which the Congolese men reply ‘White master very fair!’ This comment is designed not just to show the natives as objects of stupidity and ridicule but also to confirm that colonialism was “necessary” to bring civilisation, education and justice to the Congo. It also reinforces the view that the native Africans themselves desired this state of affairs.  

The second scene is one in which Tintin is conducting a lesson and begins the class, starting ‘‘Today I’m going to talk to you about your country: Belgium!’ In addition to being racist such comments came from a place of instilled ignorance about the history and background of colonialism. In fact it is now recognised that Belgium was not only extremely paternalistic, exploitative and cruel in its approach to the indigenous population during its colonial reign of the Congo but also did very little to advance the plight of the people through education or development. Hergé himself very rarely travelled and much of his research was conducted in the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium. This stands to show the power that Belgium and other colonising countries had over censoring their own people (Mountfort, 2012). 

 Hergé ethnic and cultural stereotyping does not stop there, in his album ‘The Broken Ear’ he describes the Arumbayas as people whose ‘Long, black, oily hair framed their coffee-coloured faces’ (Dunnett, 2000, p. 592). This description links the Arumbayas to their country’s natural resources namely oil and coffee. The native’s appearance contrasts to that of Europeans who are presented as dapper, respectably dressed and well removed from associations with the natural environment. The storyline of the album also involves the search to find a missing explorer who they presume was killed by the Arumbayas. Eventually the explorer is found safe and is shown to be educating the tribe by engaging them in typically European activities such as golf, a further representation of the “positive” effects of colonisation (Dunnett, 2000).   

References

Dunnett, O. (2009). Identity and geopolitics in Herge’s adventures of Tintin. Social & Cultural Geography, 10(5), 583–598. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649360902974449  

Frey, H. (2004). Contagious colonial diseases in Hergé’s the adventures of Tintin. Modern & Contemporary France, 12(2), 177–188.  https://doi.org/10.1080/09639480410001693043    

Mountfort, P. (2012). ‘Yellow skin, black hair … Careful, Tintin’: Hergé and orientalism. Australasian Journal of Popular Culture, 1(1), 33–49. https://doi.org/10.1386/ajpc.1.1.33_1   

W2

How would you characterise Hergé’s politics, and how did they change over time?

Herge was the most popular comics artist with patriotism in the twentieth century; he has a sense of nationalism emerge in his early Tintin adventures surrounding his politics and significant critical reception. The Blue Lotus is a work that Herge’s representation of ethnicity in the mid-1930s; in this work, he recreates of his imagination workspace. This work is a masterpiece and helps Herge to recall what is happening to other people. Particular the action set in Russia, the Congo, the Mideast and Mitteleuropa that is looking for the style of the title surrounding the subaltern in general with the critic describes as ‘internal European other’ (Wallace 2004, p.46) (Mountford, 2011).

Herge compels his view based on Russia of the ‘vices and depravities of the regime’ (Farr 2001, p12), he is directly untalkative to the subject of the Nazi occupation of his Belgian homeland (Mountford, 2011). It is hard to say whether Herge’s politics play in his works or not because his work is more focus on style in specialist representations to express it in the series (Mountford, 2011). Indeed, there is tacit in his works where his heroic journeys an expressive style that plays well to its audience ideas and hard to avoid raising the seize of nationalism in European at a time when Germany poised the National Socialists to increase their size (Mountford, 2011). Herge and Leon Dagrelle, leader of Belgium’s own in fascist movement, agree to share an excellent rapport with their thinking, though they were not personally a member. At the same time when the serial was performed with the explore of Land of the Soviets, some weeks later the opening scenes of Tintin in the Congo (1930) enacted by the same actor (Mountford, 2011).

The Blue Lotus was public in 1934. Herge’s Chinese art student encourage him into such Sinophobia stereotyping. Chang Chong- Chen introduced Herge to Chinese art, poetry that helps Herge to achieve for a bigger and better result in his art than the previous album. Herge uses Chinese line drawing and stylistic elements that he learned to contribute in his signature clear line style to portray of China’s situation during the Mukden incident and invasion of Manchuria. Herge creates Chan Chong-Chen real life under a character in The Blue Lotus fiction of the youthful Chang, whom Tintin saves from dying in the Yangtze River. Herge may remark himself as political in metonymy in his story. He disguises himself to attempt in his earlier chauvinism. It is shown more in his Tintin in Tibet (1958-59), its fictional avatar show ideas and how the situation changes that have affected for real Chang to experience earlier critical and involved in this album (Mountford, 2011). Herge felt torment by the more his book was getting an enormous amount of selling the more he was worried of the books would getting less affected and influenced to people through time (Assouline & Ruas, 2009).

Tintinologists delicate to fans the value of collection resources, token of appreciating occupy the middle; Alph Art was late issued in 1986 and then 2004 in English while black and white albums of the series have similar issues as a copy (Mountford, 2016). The characterised by obscenity Tintin in Thailand (1999) to take an example from not on the target to that ranges from political to pornographic (Mountford, 2016). Tintin in the land of the Soviets and Tintin in the Congo are not include the politically explore, while it should have in the public one, such as the public of the critical Red Indian scenes in Tintin in America and activities that are illegally in Coke en stock/The red sea sharks (1958) (Mountford, 2016).

References:

Assouline, P., & Ruas, C. (2009). Hergé: the man who created Tintin. Oxford University Press.

Mountfort, P. (2016). Tintin as spectacle: The backstory of a popular franchise and late capital. Journal of Asia-Pacific Pop Culture, 1(1), 37-56.

Mountfort, P. (2011). ‘Yellow skin, black hair… Careful, Tintin’: Hergé and Orientalism. Australasian journal of popular culture, 1(1), 33-49.

Question week 2

2. What is the alleged connection between Hergé’s early comics and propaganda?

Tintin is a character many of us grew up with and loved. Although the series evolve around a heroic, and in many ways relatable character there are a darker side to Hergé’s popular illustrated series. Stereotyping, suspect politics, racism and anti-Semitism are just some of the issues that people still argue about. The two first Tintin publications are the ones who receives the most critique and are still cause of argument today.
Hergé’s political outlook was shaped by extreme right-wing anxieties of retro-colonisation, something that’s common in Belgium, Britain and France (Frey, 2004).

The supposed connections between the early Tintin comics and propaganda takes root in Hergé’s own political connections and viewpoints.  
There have been many discussions because of the issues around extreme-right wing ideologies in the Tintin series, especially in Tintin au Pay Soviets (Tintin in the Land of the Soviets) and Tintin au Congo (Tintin in the Congo).
 According to Laser-Robinson (2005) Tintin au Pay Soviets is considered a work of anti-communist propaganda and it had a strong “right-of-centre” view against Stalinist Russia, while Scorer (2008) describes the comic as “an unabashed piece of capitalist propaganda satirizing Soviet Russia.”
Hergé himself distanced himself from the accusations in his earlier years but have later said that Tintin au Pay Soviets and Tintin au Congo were “sins of youth” (Scorer, 2008). You could argue that Hergé was well aware of what he was doing considering his collaboration with Léon Degrelle.
          Degrelle was the Belgium far right-wing leader and Hergé worked for him as an illustrator (Frey, 2004). Hergé worked for him during the Nazi occupation of Belgium (Scorer, 2008) and illustrated a cover for one of Degrelle’s pamphlets (Frey, 2004).
Hergé also continued to publish Tintin in Le Soir which was controlled by the Nazi occupants (Frey, 2004).
During this period Hergé published L’E ́toile mystérieuse (The Shooting Star) a story where the villain was a cliché corrupt Jewish banker (Scorer, 2008). The character is named Blumenstein and embodies anti-Semitic stereotypes. The stereotypes were commonly used by the Nazis and Francophone extreme right-wing (Frey, 2004). Hergé changed this character when the comic was republished after the war (Scorer, 2008).
          Le Lotus bleu (The Blue Lotus) is the fifth volume in the Tintin series, although Hergé had changed and tried to be more considerate this is still a publication with traces of propaganda. According to Laser-Robinson (2005) the Japanese people in the comic looks like “living breathing propaganda posters”.
The way Hergé is similar enough to war propaganda form the same period to suggest that Hergé used the same techniques as propaganda artists used (Laser-Robinson, 2005).
McCarthy (2006) says that Tintin’s political origin lie on the right, and that there is a good reason to why Hergé and his legacy continues to be accused for racism, stereotyping, suspect politics and so on.

Sources:

Scorer, James. (2008). Imitating Incas and becoming llama – Tintin in Latin  America – or the Latin Americanin Tintin? SAGE Publications.
https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/doi/pdf/10.1177/1367877908089261?

Frey, Hugo. (2004). Contagious colonial diseases in Hergé’s The Adventures of Tintin. Modern & Contemporary France.
https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/doi/pdf/10.1080/09639480410001693043?needAccess=true

Laser-Robinson, Alexander S. (2005). An Analysis of Hergé’s Portrayal of Various Racial Groups in The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus. Tintinologist.org.
https://www.tintinologist.org/articles/analysis-bluelotus.pdf

McCarthy, Tom. (2006). Tintin And The Secret Of Literature. Granta.

WEEK 2 POPULAR GENRE  

1.  How decisively did Hergé address this issue from The Blue Lotus on, and in what ways did it remain problematic? 

If you don’t know about something you intend to write about its usually a good to find out more about it somehow.  

When Herge announced that Tintin was going to the Far East, China he received a letter from Father Gossett, a Catholic priest and Chaplin of Chinese students at the University of Leuven. He wrote that if he made the mistake of drawing a Chinese with a pigtail or eating birds nests while shrieking “Hee, hee” he would cause much damage. Father Gossett encouraged Herge to do some research about China and their culture and introduced him to an art student named Chang Chongren. Chang taught Herge many things about Chinese drawing, poetry, religion and calligraphy which was a revelation for him. 

Chang assisted Herge in producing The Blue Lotus in 1934, considered his first masterpiece. Chang’s influence is seen on Shanghai streets scenes with Chinese banners and posters sayings about well-being and slogans on the walls of buildings with political messages of “Down with Imperialism” during the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, China from 1931 onwards. 

Tintin was no longer just a children’s comic adventure book, it had become current affairs, contemporary journalism and strong political satire. The Blue Lotus was highly significant at that time and influenced every adventure after that. 

 During Tintin’s adventure in The Blue Lotus he saves an orphan boy from drowning who has the same name as Herge’s real friend Chang Chongren. Together they find the professor who develops a vaccine for the poison that makes people mad ‘Raijahjah’. Chang is adopted by the professor and here inlays the problem. 

Tintin being a ‘Hero’ and ‘Saviour’ of non-White, non-European people is the ongoing problem. This ‘Mighty Whitey’ trope was common at that time. It was expected that Tintin would succeed making him superior both to the local natives, even though he was sympathetic towards the Chinese (only, not all Asians). Additionally it is also reinforcing European superiority back home when people are saved by kindhearted white Europeans who know best. 

REFERENCES 

Mountford, P. (2020). Tintin: the franchise and Herge’s The Blue Lotus. Retrieved from https://blackboard.aut.ac.nz.