Visual Political Propaganda

The 21st century is marked by unprecedented technological development including new means of communication. New media advertised as a way of deepening democratic discourse turned out to rather be detrimental to public sphere. They seem to pose a threat to day-to-day performance of democracy in Western societies as they foster oligarchic tendencies already embedded in the neoliberal order. They might also serve as means of political and social propaganda to the extent never experienced before. Hence, the discussion on new facets of propaganda, predominantly  visual, is of utmost importance.

As Jason Stanley argues “the essence of political propaganda on my approach is that it is a kind of speech that fundamentally involves political, economic, aesthetic, or rational ideals, mobilized for a political purpose. Propaganda is in the service of either supporting or eroding ideals. The first distinction between kinds of propaganda has to do with whether or not it erodes or supports the ideals it appears to embody” (Stanley 2015: 48). The phenomenon may also be defined as “any conscious and open attempt to influence the beliefs of an individual or group, guided by a predetermined end and characterized by the systematic use of irrational and often unethical techniques of persuasion” (Smith III 1989: 80). With the rise of the aforementioned changes in the proliferation of information, but also of misinformation or disinformation, the reflection on the nature of political propaganda, its means and the ways of protecting societies against its influence is crucial. Multi-directional nature of contemporary communication makes it particularly easy to propagate certain political ideas as well as erode trust and confidence in the established form of knowledge construction as science. The recent pandemic, spread of disinformation and manipulation during the referendums and elections provide for in-depth discussion on the evolving nature of propaganda, its methods and available resources. The visuality of contemporary culture makes it more important to reflect on the visuality of political propaganda.

Therefore, we would like to invite you to participate to discussion on contemporary challenges posed by propaganda especially in the context of its visual aspects. Our attention will be focused on the suggested set of topics; however, the list is not definite:

Block 1. Philosophy and Theory

• Philosophical sources of propaganda and the evolution of its nature over the centuries;

• Theories and concepts of propaganda in political science;

• Propaganda as the distortion of reality - socio-technical and manipulative tactics and strategies in contemporary political competition;

• Propaganda in democratic and non-democratic regimes.

Block 2. Propaganda, technological developments and voluntary cooperation

• Technology as a tool of visual propaganda: deep fakes, disinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories;

• Social media and the proliferation of disinformation and propaganda;

• Different medias, different literacies - Critical Media Literacy as a powerful tool to counteract propaganda (i.e., social media, new media and popular culture).

Block 3. AI and propaganda

• Propaganda in the XXIst century - Large Language Models (LLM) as the new facet of indoctrination;

• AI and visual propaganda: from production to proliferation (Big Data and algorithms);

• Democratization of propaganda in the age of LLM.

Block 4. Visual culture

• Visual culture as a source and means of political subjectivity/agency shaping;

• Pictorial and audiovisual communication in political propaganda;

• Dimensions of contemporary political propaganda: linguistic, aesthetic, ethical, emotional.

Block 5. Democracy and populism

• Crisis of contemporary democracy and its visual representations;

• The visibility of right- and left-wing populism in Europe and all over the world;

• Political extremism and its visual aesthetics.

Block 6. Political Engagement

• The audio-visuality of protest, rebellion, and resistance in contemporary politics;

• Revolutionary activity and its political visibility;

• The capitalist center and peripheries in the audiovisual game for political recognition, subjectivity, and hegemony.

Block 7. War and Peace

• Visuality and the visibility of political conflicts in the world;

• Visual propaganda and its employment during military conflicts;

• Cultural representations of peace in visual political propaganda.

After successful submission you should receive an e-mail confirmation including a copy of your answers. If you have not received it, please contact us at visualpropaganda@uw.edu.pl

Abstract Submission Deadline: 31 March 2026

Notification of Acceptance: 7 April 2026

Registration Deadline: 5 May 2026

Conference Program: 15 May 2026

Deadline: 30 April 2026

• For participants from Poland: 500 PLN

• For participants from outside Poland: 120 EUR

Payment details will be provided with the notification of acceptance.