The arab cartoon: from arab spring to arab spring 2.0

Abstract

Political cartoons in the Arab world have been regarded as an alternative form of media. They have been viewed as a means of peaceful protest, which gained significant momentum during the Arab Spring of 2011. Furthermore, the development of political cartoons was heavily influenced by Web 2.0, which facilitated the emergence of a synthetic society online. Despite this, political cartoons have continued to evolve and have become an essential tool for demonstrations and protests in the Arab world following the Arab Spring. One noteworthy example is Algeria, where a wave of demonstrations in February 2019 saw political cartoons wielded as an extremely powerful tool. As a result, the main objectives of this research are to study political cartoons in the context of the Arab Spring and to analyze whether there exists an Arab Spring 2.0, in which political cartoons have been further consolidated. To achieve these objectives, a qualitative methodology was employed, involving the analysis of various documents. In addition, a visual ethnographic method was utilized to describe the sample population under investigation. Ultimately, this research represents an attempt to analyze a new phenomenon characterized by evolution. In other words, it seeks to determine whether the Arab Spring 2.0 represents a new version of revolution, in which political cartoons play a key role.