Unveiling The U.s. Agenda: A Critical Discourse Analysis And Semiotic Exploration Of Disney’s Normalization Of The Abnormal In Its Cartoons

Résumé: Disney is an American entertainment company that has gained popularity among kids worldwide. With its rapid expansion, it has come to impact millions of individuals worldwide. Despite its widespread popularity, Disney transmits hidden ideologies within its movies that do not align with the values and cultural norms of the Arab audiences in general and Algerians in particular . This dissertation’s study examines Disney cartoons as a source of soft power and cultural hegemony used by the United States of America to manipulate the world and spread its agenda. The goal of this research is to figure out the ideologies disseminated to the world through Disney cartoons and how they affect the Algerian kids, as well as to raise awareness about the secret ideologies Disney wants to promote. The present study employs both the qualitative and quantitative methods. The research primarily makes use of Fairclough’s model of CDA known as the Three Dimensional Model as well as Roland Barthes’ semiotic theory to examine how ideologies are transferred through Disney animated cartoons. It also utilizes two questionnaires as an effective tool to weigh children’s as well as parents’ awareness about Disney cartoons’ perils. These cartoons are, in the present study, epitomized in Lightyear and Turning Red, which proved to be transmitting homosexuality, feminism, and polytheism, among other ideologies. The findings show that Disney has indeed inserted within its movies a number of poisonous ideologies that are unsuitable for Algerian kids; something that Arab Muslim societies should keep a close eye on.

Publié dans la revue: