Beller, M., and J. Leerssen (eds.). 2007. Imagology: The cultural construction and literary representation of national characters. Amsterdam: Rodopi. Visual media – films, images, performances – can shape our view of the world and impact our emotions in profound ways. Just think of the iconic image of the “tank man”, a lone protester standing in front of a line of tanks in Tiananmen Square, Beijing in 1989. An image viewed by many as speaking truth to power. Or the tragic photograph of drowned toddler Alan Kurdi, on a beach in Turkey, during the Mediterranean migration crisis in 2015, a picture which some believe provoked Angela Merkel to allow over one million refugees into Germany.

Such processes are not isolated to campaigns of course. Political leaders use visual communication to shape their public image, and subtle differences in visual representation can have significant effects on their public perceptions.BMV (Bundesministerium der Verteidigung – Ministry of Defence). 2014. Unterzeichnung eines 10-Nationen-Briefs an den NATO-Generalsekretär zur weiteren Umsetzung des Framework Nations Concept. Berlin: BMV. Böhrer, K.H. 1992. Why we are not a Nation—And why we should become one. In When the wall came down: Reactions to German unification, ed. H. James, and M. Stone, 60–70. London: Routledge. (orig. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 12 January 1990).

Schoenbaum, D., and E. Pond. 1996. The German question and other German questions. Houndmills: MacMillan. BWE et al. (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie, Bundesministerium des Innern, Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur). 2014. Digitale Agenda 2014– 2017, Berlin. Süddeutsche Zeitung. 2015a. Mit der Brechstange gewinnt man keinen Blumentopf (Interview with Joachim Löw), 31 August, 25. Hellmann, G. 2009a. IR/foreign policy theory and German foreign policy. Journal of International Relations and Development 12 (2): 251–256.

Manipulation, propaganda and the importance of emotional impact  

Browning, C. 2015. Nation branding, National Self-esteem and the Constitution of Subjectivity in late modernity. Foreign Policy Analysis 11 (2): 195–214. Oelsner, K., and L. Heimrich. 2015. Social media use of German politicians: Towards dialogic voter relations? German Politics 24 (4): 451–468.

Hellmann, G. 2009b. A status conscious Germany between adolescence and retirement. AICGS Transatlantic Perspectives: Johns Hopkins University. PIA/BMI (Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung, Bundesministerium des Innern). 2006. Fußball-WM 2006: Abschlussbericht der Bundesregierung. Berlin: PIA/BMI. GIZ. 2015b. Deutschland in den Augen der Welt: Zentrale Ergebnisse der zweiten GIZ-Erhebung. Bonn: GIZ. GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit). 2012. Deutschland in den Augen der Welt. Bonn: GIZ.Manheim, J., and R. Albritton. 1984. Changing national images: International public relations and media agenda setting. American Political Science Review 78 (3): 641–657. Gilboa, E. 2008. Searching for a theory of public diplomacy. Annals of the American Academy of Political Science 616 (1): 55–77. The use of symbolism is widespread in the political sphere, as political actors seek to harness the power of social media for impression management. Such devices also prove effective, with even the simplest facial expression able to have a profound impact on people’s perceptions. Friday: Photo-elicitation in Prison: Visual Methods and Visual Culture [link to follow] (L. Gariglio) Amt, Auswärtiges. 2012. Shaping globalization—Expanding partnerships—Sharing responsibility. Berlin: Auswärtiges Amt.

Wood, S. 1999. Culture, commerce, and foreign policy: German eastern interests and domestic contexts juxtaposed. German Politics and Society 17 (2): 55–85.German National Tourist Board. 2008. The 2006 FIFA World Cup and its effect on the image and economy of Germany. Frankfurt: GNTB. Thursday: RETURNED: Portraits of People Deported to Brava, Cape Verde [link link to follow] (A. Wise) Bundesregierung. 2015b. Sommerpressekonferenz von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel. http://www.bundesregierung.de/Content/DE/Mitschrift/Pressekonferenzen/2015/08/2015-08-31-pk-merkel.html, 31 August (1September 2015). But despite campaigns attempting to tap into the political currency of pictures, different content forms elicit different emotional responses. The challenge for protest movements is to develop a consistent, interconnected theme, and to be aware of their audience and differences in reception.