Propaganda is a means of war aimed at the civilians. Despite the distinctions between war, armed conflict and a “special military operation” becoming blurred, propaganda continues to portray a common existential enemy that is both pitiful and all-powerful. In this context, the anti-Ukrainian and anti-Israeli narratives disseminated by the Putin regime’s propaganda in Russia and abroad bear a striking resemblance to “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, as well as Soviet and Nazi propaganda.

In this conversation, Jewish artist and educator Moshe Shamah discusses how propaganda has changed throughout recent history, why contradictory images of Nazis and Jews coexist in the mass consciousness, and how to combat propaganda of hatred, which endangers not only individuals, but also democracy and civil society in Israel ahead of the Knesset elections in October.

On 29 July, Moshe Shamah will address these topics as part of his lecture “From Soviet Propaganda to Putin’s Russia” at the Museum of the Jewish People (ANU). Event partners: Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Israel, Israeli Friends of Ukraine, Israel Shelanu.

The 20th century and many contemporary examples have made politics an integral part of our everyday lives, meaning that, in one way or another, art inevitably becomes involved in the debate. Would you say that your artistic practice responds to a particular form of propaganda, or does it oppose the very propaganda as a phenomenon?

Moshe: It was the remarkable sense of urgency and the clear effect that said propaganda has had on society since Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine that made me act. In some sense, it became less of a choice, and more of a deep sense of responsibility, which is why I decided to pursue this subject in my educational work – just as I have been creating endless art series to fundraise for Ukraine as of 2022.

Academically speaking, I took a course on propaganda over the centuries, titled “The Arts of Power”, in either my sophomore or junior year, which was taught by Dr Alastair Bellamy, which had a profound impact on my interests within an art historical context – one could make the case that this was the first “domino” which led me to this point today.

On a more personal level, however, as an artist, I have been swarmed by an unending tidal wave of anti-Israel, and frankly antisemitic propaganda in the international art world. The type of regurgitated slogans and visual narratives that I and other Israeli or Jewish artists are subjected to, truly make us feel as if we are being haunted by the spectre of Soviet “Anti-Zionist” propaganda – and they have severely impacted my ability to work and exhibit internationally. In this sense, my fight against propaganda is not only for the sake of Ukraine or Israel, but also a deeply personal battle, with my own future and livelihood on the line.

Furthermore, that fight has been a great bridge to building cross-cultural solidarity, with Ukrainians, Kurds, Persians, Taiwanese people, and beyond – and it’s for this that I decided to go in-person to attend the Conference “Ukraine in the World” in Lviv at the Ukrainian Catholic University earlier this month, where I was invited to present a shorter version of the talk that will be held at the ANU Museum on 29 June.

How do you think the phenomenon of propaganda has changed over the last half-century? Personally, I’m concerned by the trend whereby propaganda is spreading beyond the state control, taking the form of memes, stickers and graffiti, for example, and beginning to circulate freely and without regulation.

Moshe: I would say that the general format and content of modern propaganda remains overarchingly the same over recent history, from Post-WWII, and especially the 1960-1970s to now. However, the deployment mechanism has changed dramatically, becoming increasingly multifaceted over time.

Previously, propaganda relied heavily on creating a visual feedback loop via magazines, posters and other publications, coupled with radio and mainstream television. The obvious answer as to how this has changed is social media and AI. You don’t need to commission (or force) an artist to create a poster, print and distribute them, and place them on street signs and workplaces, when you can generate a thousand images in minutes, and have them disseminated to millions of people before lunchtime. The content remains the same,........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)