Cartoons and Graffiti: Consolidated Forms of Peaceful Protest in the Contemporary Arab World

Abstract

The emergence of the Arab Spring and networked society has led to the consolidation of graffiti and cartooning as two forms of artistic expression in the contemporary Arab world. These forms were utilized as peaceful means of protest to demand the restoration of social and political rights that had been deprived. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze and explore how these two expressions evolved and diversified in the Arab world, ultimately becoming a form of peaceful protest. The methodology employed will be qualitative, given the theoretical nature of the topic. Specifically, a visual ethnographic approach will be used to examine the images presented in this work as a sample. The expected outcome of this research is to emphasize how these two relatively unknown forms of artistic expression have become an alternative means of communication, capable of engaging society and stimulating their involvement in political and creative processes.