Representation of Kashmir’s Subjugation through War Photos: A Semiotic Analysis

Abstract

This study examines how linguistic features and sign systems in war photographs of Kashmir increase violence, insecurity, and the quest for freedom under subjugation. Recent studies of semiotic analyses on war reveal how photographs influence public perception and political narratives. The Kashmir conflict is understudied, highlighting the interplay of photographs and linguistic elements respectively. Using a purposive sampling approach, data was collected from Indian and Pakistani top three newspapers We applied Rose's model to analyze the data. The linguistic and semiotic analysis revealed a significant relationship between verbal and visual signs, power dynamics; ideological biases, ethical considerations, and emotional responses. Also, this study found how Indian media portrays Pakistan as the primary instigator of the Kashmir conflict and the harsh challenges faced by Kashmiri civilians. This study provides recommendations for future researchers that how hashtags, captions and user-generated content contribute to the discourse.