Disputes over small territories : a study of the spatial, political and philatelic aspects of such disputes : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Geography at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

“Most governments are now alive to the advertising and propaganda value of postage stamps” Sir Dudley Stamp (1966) Professor of Geography Seventy years after the formation of the United Nations, the world continues to be plagued by civil disorder, territorial claims and border disputes. Currently, there are some 150 claims and disputes still outstanding. Previous published work has revealed that postage stamps have played a key role in the propaganda associated with territorial disputes in Latin American countries. This dissertation aims to ascertain whether this finding holds true for disputes outside of Latin America and to what extent postage stamp propaganda can influence these various disputes. This study then describes and examines the background of 20 selected territorial claims and two special situations in small territories in Europe, European Colonies and Asia. The disputes form a cross section of those which have occurred over the last 125 years. A brief historical and geographical review is included along with the known causation and the actual or possible solution to each dispute. Written and visual evidence is collected and presented to illustrate the role played by postage stamps in the propaganda associated with these selected small territorial disagreements. When appropriate, the relevant postal history is described and postage stamp examples illustrated. The results indicate that, in the disputes studied, violence and loss of life was endemic at some stage in the dispute. Potential or real economic gain was not the obvious prime trigger factor which initiated the dispute. Further analysis of the findings indicates that postage stamps do play an important role in the propaganda associated with territorial claims in Europe, European Colonies and in Asia. Specific examples are identified in which the role of the stamp proved to be a key item in exacerbating the discord further. No clear evidence could be demonstrated to indicate that the effects differed significantly in geographic or political terms between Europe and her Colonies. There is some evidence that stamp usage for political purposes may be more frequently used in recent years than in the past. In Asia, Japan has not utilised stamps for propaganda purposes in her territorial disputes. Postage stamps are a powerful source of political propaganda and can play an important role in territorial claims

U.S. Postage Stamps.

1 cent stamp with profile of George Washington, n.d. Used stamps. Donated by Dorothy Porter.https://dh.howard.edu/og_stamps/1008/thumbnail.jp

Envelope with Deutsches Reich 1936 Olympics Stamps

Front: Tan envelope with two rows of four stamps with Olympic events on them, and a black circular hand stamp between them. Includes a red and white pasted stamp in bottom left, and white pasted paper with typewritten and written information.Back: Two black circular hand stamps.Sent from the 1936 Olympic Games to stamp collector Leonhard Berger of Karlsruhe, this envelope has all eight official Deutsches Reich Olympische Spiele 1936 postage stamps and official cancellations from the Olympic Village. Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Nazi Philatelic 1936 Olympic Games Postage Stamps on Registered Cover. Third Reich registered cover with Deutsches Reich Olympische Spiele 1936 postage stamps designed by Max Eschle for the 1936 Olympic Games. The envelope was sent to stamp collector Leonhard Berger of Karlsruhe and has event cancellations form the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. the original red border registration sticker is in the lower left corner. This envelope has all eight official Deutsches Reich Olympische Spiele 1936 postage stamps and four 35 mm round event cancellations from the Berlin Olympisch Dorf or Olympic Village dated 16 August 1936. The registration sticker is from the special post office at the Berlin Olympic Village.https://digital.kenyon.edu/bulmash/1247/thumbnail.jp

The social agency of postage stamps : Japanese postage stamps in a global context

This thesis is concerned with evaluating postage stamps as social agents, using Japan as a case study. For the period 1937-1988 it identifies various messages about Japanese identity implied by the symbolism used by Japanese Governments in their postage stamp designs and by their choice of special issues. It explores the extent to which those messages have been received by both Japanese and British collectors of these stamps and the reasons why their communication has been found to be largely ineffective. The study identifies the tendency of stamp users to appreciate stamps aesthetically, as art objects, rather than as symbols and the practices of stamp collecting as the major obstacles to the recognition of their symbolic messages. The view that stamp collecting is a social practice which is defined by the cultural traditions of the collectors’ societies is questioned. Evidence is offered for the ‘globalisation’ of this form of collecting and for the evolution of postage stamps from being utility items largely confined to their issuing societies into ‘collectibles’ designed for a global market. The implications of: Governments’ acceptance of this change in postage stamps’ status; the moves to privatise postal services; and the availability of new technology, both for Governments’ continued use of stamps as ‘little diplomats’ and for theories of collecting are shown to need further study. My thesis suggests that the social agency of postage stamps has been more effective in helping to establish the self-identity of their collectors as collectors rather than in giving those collectors insight into the identities of the countries issuing them and that the social agency of material objects is determined more by their users than by their producers

Republique Francaise.

Postage stamps. Donated by Dorothy Porter.https://dh.howard.edu/og_stamps/1006/thumbnail.jp

A semiotic contextualisation of South African postage stamps and letters received between 1996 and 1999

The purpose of this research is to use semiotic and narrative theory to unpack the layered meanings related to postage stamps and handwritten letters and explore their similarities. The theories of Peirce on icon, index and symbol, provide a systematic framework from which to explore the parallel narratives in a personal collection of postage stamps and letters received between 1996 and 1999. Postage stamps and letters are sent as a unit, allowing their public and private narratives to arrive in parallel. Both the practical and theoretical components of this research explore these narratives, treating letters and postage stamps as both personal and impersonal objects of communication. They are archival objects of national and personal history and of an era that is slowly fading. This research does not reinforce the different modes of communication offered by postage stamps and letters, but rather unpacks and compares, from a personal perspective, their many layers of meaning.Art History, Visual Arts and MusicologyM.A. (Visual Arts

Envelopes from Guernsey on the Channel Island

First Envelope Front: Tan envelope with two green postage stamps, writing in black ink, and a black hand stamp.First Envelope Back: Writing in black ink reading, Any morning before 10; afternoon after 1 except Friday. Second Envelope: Tan envelope with one green and two orange postage stamps. Includes writing in black ink and black hand stamps.Third Envelope: Tan envelope with writing in black ink, a purple postage stamp, and a black hand stamp. Information Provided by Michael D. Bulmash: Sent from the early 1940s from Guernsey on the Channel Island, occupied by the Nazis throughout most of the war.https://digital.kenyon.edu/bulmash/1463/thumbnail.jp

Growth Charts on Postage Stamps

Growth charts are among the tools used by nutritionists to track infant and child well-being.  Numerous countries have depicted growth charts on their postage stamps, along with other GOBI components of child health (oral rehydration, breastfeeding, and immunizations).  Postage stamps are useful in conveying essential health information to the populace and they honor worldwide efforts to improve child health. This article presents examples of GOBI depictions on postage stamps around the world, with special focus on growth charts