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.

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 in International Politics at Glasgow School for Business and Society at Glasgow Caledonian University.

AcknowledgementsPreface: DevisualizeNicholas MirzoeffIntroduction: The Aesthetics of Global Protest: Visual Culture and CommunicationAidan McGarry, Itir Erhart, Hande Eslen-Ziya, Olu Jenzen, and Umut KorkutPART I: PERFORMANCE, ART AND POLITICSChapter 1: Queer Visual Activism in South AfricaTessa LewinChapter 2: The Use of Visibility in Contentious Events in Northern IrelandKaty Hayward and Milena KomarovaChapter 3: Maybe We Will Benefit From Our Neighbour's Good Fortune: An Exhibition on Collectivity, Community and Dialogue in TurkeyIsil EgrikavukChapter 4: Political Street Art in Social Mobilization: A Tale of Two Protests in Argentina Holly Eva RyanChapter 5: Archiving Dissent: (Im)material Trajectories of Political Street Art in Istanbul and AthensJulia TulkeChapter 6: The Introvert's Protest: Handwriting the Constitution and the Performance of Politics Interview with Morgan O'Hara by Aidan McGarryPART II: VISUAL ACTIVISM AND DIGITAL CULTUREChapter 7: Photography and protest in Israel/Palestine: The Activestills online archiveSimon FaulknerChapter 8: Drones, Cinema, and Protest in ThailandNoah ViernesChapter 9: Bearing Witness to Authoritarianism and Commoning through Video Activism and Political Film-Making after the Gezi ProtestsÖzge Özdüzen Chapter 10: Music Videos as Protest Communication: The Gezi Park Protest on YouTubeOlu Jenzen, Itir Erhart, Hande Eslen-Ziya, Derya Güçdemir, Umut Korkut, and Aidan McGarry Chapter 11: The Activist Chroniclers of Occupy Gezi: Counterposing Visibility to Injustice Dan Mercea and Helton LevyChapter 12: When Twitter got #woke: Black Lives Matter, DeRay McKesson, Twitter, and the Appropriation of the Aesthetics of ProtestFarida Vis, Simon Faulkner, Safiya Umoja Noble and Hannah GuyPART III: CONCLUSIONChapter 13 Conclusion: Reflections on Protest and Political Transformation since 1789Jim AulichIndex