Eurocentrism in the Hunt for the Assassination of J.W.W. Birch in Pasir Salak, Perak by Illustrated London News in 1876: A Visual Analysis

Abstract

This study aims to observe the role of Eurocentrism in the visual reporting of the assassination of JWW Birch, reported by The Illustrated London News in 1876. This study aims to discuss the contents of the visual report in the hunt for JWW Birch’s assassination and the Malay resistance against the British colonial powers in Pasir Salak, Perak. The relevant visuals produced and reported by the newspaper served to report to the British public and the British royal family. Previous studies have shown that the focus on Eurocentrism in visual reports produced by Western newspapers in the 19th century does not receive enough attention among researchers, even though it can provide new interpretations of the historical events of Malaya through the visuals produced. This study utilises iconography analysis to interpret visual symbolism in the hunt for the assassination of J.W.W. Birch in Pasir Salak, Perak by The Illustrated London News. The essay explores the contextualization, historical significance, and cultural meaning of these visuals, aiming to deepen understanding of using iconography in historical artistic mediums.This study is relevant and possesses its own interest regarding the discussion on Eurocentrism in Malaya. It provides a different approach as the concept of Eurocentrism is discussed via visuals reported by a newspaper controlled by the British compared to other studies that solely focused on Eurocentrism in Malaya via written reports and records. The results found that Eurocentrism in the visual reports produced by the newspaper aims to preserve the British image that was ruined and jeopardised due to Birch’s assassination. However, their plan did not go as expected due to the availability of visual reports that displayed the British military attack on Pasir Salak, Perak by other newspapers. This resulted from their own doing, where they did not control their visuals from being produced by other media