Duty and sacrifice: wooing prairie women into war

Abstract

This thesis seeks to contribute to a growing body of research that believes that historical practices can play a significant role in the formulation of communication theory. The work underlines the importance of including the study of propaganda within communication scholarship in Canada. This Canadian propaganda study employs a historical/comparative methodology to determine whether the Canadian government implemented propaganda in newspapers as a matter of policy to enlist the support of rural women during World War Two. It examines the ways in which two prairie newspapers, The Calgary Herald and Farm and Ranch Review promoted and propagandized war slogans and campaigns to their women readers, during the years 1939 - 1946.