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Article published In:
Journal of Language and Politics
Vol. 23:2 (2024) ► pp.261–282

The aesthetic values of the semiotic choices in Arab protests

Social categorization, identity construction, intertextuality and interdiscursivity

ORCID logo | Mustansiriyah University

This paper examines protest language from the late Arab Spring uprisings, more specifically in Tunisia, Egypt and Iraq – identified as the “Facebook Upheavals”. It explores the discursive aspects of these processes through which social protest and dissent are constructed and different forms of communication and expression are mobilized. It also examines how the various modes of representation and dissemination contribute to shaping and influencing social movements and resistance within the Arab political context, individually and collectively. On the collective level, the paper explores the discursive construction of collective identities, the formation of alliances, and the negotiation of power relations within and between different protest movements. This is done by reporting how discourses are used to challenge dominant narratives, contest oppressive structures, and then to shape the political landscape in the Arab region.

Keywords: protest language, hashtags, slogans, semiotic artefacts, resistance discourses
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background: Protests in the Arab world from 2011 to 2019
  • 3.Literature review
  • 4.Scope and significance
  • 5.Data collection and analysis
  • 6.Analysis: Macro discourse topics (frames) as an analytical instrument
  • 7.Macro discourse topics: Identity construction in Arabs’ protests
    • 7.1National ambition and patriotic frame
    • 7.2Political reform: Civic engagement and organizing
    • 7.3Arab peoples’ activism and authority
    • 7.4Social categorization: The on-going resistance for the continuing threats
  • 8.Intertextuality in Arabic protests
  • 9.Interdiscursivity
  • 10.Conclusions
  • References
Published online: 28 November 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.22149.moh
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