Image/Protest

Abstract

This editorial introduces the articles of the special issue Image/Protest . It explains that the articles in the issue consider the production and reproduction of images of protest,<br />their strategic use by various actors, their representation to wider audiences through various media channels, and their implications in the public realm. These contributions offer a collection of conceptual and analytical perspectives through which to analyse<br />images related to protest, including ethnographic observation, semiotic analysis, historical/genre analysis and content analysis. The empirical focus of this issue includes different practices of image activism or representation of protest in the media as case<br />studies: demonstrations in the West Bank, protests against the ban of public nudity in San Francisco, protests around the Canadian tar sands, street battles in Copenhagen<br />over the forced eviction of Iraqi asylum seekers, online video activism on YouTube, and the visual coverage of Syrian conflict in the mainstream media outlets. The issue offers a wide perspective on the complex media environment in which contemporary protest is made visible, as well as on the diversified media tactics of activists which combine ‘new’ and ‘old’ media.