Life in a nutshell: evolution of a migratory metaphor in Spanish cartoons

<jats:p>This article studies the image of the boat immigrants use to cross the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates Europe and Africa, through the analysis of 125 cartoons published in Spanish press between 2006 and 2012. Our study shows that in this span of seven years – which coincides with a period of growth for Spanish economy and the subsequent crisis – there was an interesting and meaningful conceptual evolution regarding the image of the immigrant boat. This situation resulted in argumentatively effective visual analogies, metaphors and metonymies which evolved all along this period, making this boat a cultural symbol of our time. The article also intends to highlight the importance of cartoons in opinion journalism as well as their importance in the mass media landscape today.</jats:p>