The Aesthetics of Global Protest

Visual Culture and Communication

Aidan McGarry Itir Erhart Hande Eslen-Ziya Olu Jenzen Umut Korkut Isil I.Egrikavuk Dan Mercea Tessa Lewin Julia Tulke Nicholas Mirzoeff

9789463724913

298 pages

Amsterdam University Press

Hardback $138.00

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Overview

Protestors across the world use aesthetics in order to communicate their ideas and ensure their voices are heard. This book looks at protest aesthetics, which we consider to be the visual and performative elements of protest, such as images, symbols, graffiti, art, as well as the choreography of protest actions in public spaces. Through the use of social media, protestors have been able to create an alternative space for people to engage with politics that is more inclusive and participatory than traditional politics. This volume focuses on the role of visual culture in a highly mediated environment and draws on case studies from Europe, Thailand, South Africa, USA, Argentina, and the Middle East in order to demonstrate how protestors use aesthetics to communicate their demands and ideas. It examines how digital media is harnessed by protestors and argues that all protest aesthetics are performative and communicative.

Author Bio

Aidan McGarry is a Reader in International Politics at the Institute for Diplomacy and International Governance at Loughborough University, London. Itir Erhart is an Associate Professor at Istanbul Bilgi University, Department of Media and Communication Systems. Hande Eslen-Ziya is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Stavanger. Olu Jenzen is Principal Lecturer at the University of Brighton, UK and the Director of the Research Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender. Umut Korkut is Professor of International Politics at Glasgow Caledonian University. He has previously published extensively on migration, populism, and democratisation in Hungary and Turkey including two monographs entitled "Liberalization Challenges in Hungary" and "Politics and Gender Identity in Turkey". Currently, he leads the Horizon 2020 funded project D.Rad DeRadicalisation in Europe and Beyond: Detest, Resolve, Reintegrate (2020-2023).