DOCSLIB.ORG

Masaryk University Faculty of Social Studies

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Masaryk University Faculty of Social Studies MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SOCIAL STUDIES Department of Sociology Social Media as a Threat to National Security The Role of Facebook in the Russian Protests of 2011-2012 Master‟s Thesis Evgeniya Fomenko Supervisor: Bernadette Nadya Jaworsky, Ph.D. UCO: 404898 Study Field: Sociology Year of Enrollment: 2012 Brno, 2014 I hereby declare that this thesis I submit for assessment is entirely my own work and has not been taken from the work of others save to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work. Date: Signature 2 Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................ 4 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 5 Theoretical Background and Literature Review ........................................... 7 The Cultural Turn to Social Media: Jeffrey Alexander......................................... 7 Tweeting the Protests: Social Media and Revolutions ...................................... 11 The Russian Scenario: The Internet Revolution ................................................. 16 Methodology and Methods ................................................................................. 18 Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 28 The Anatomy of Protests ............................................................................................. 28 The First Stage: “For Fair Elections” ......................................................... 28 The Second Stage: Free Pussy Riot! .......................................................... 42 Facebook as a Tool of Emergent Protest ................................................................ 48 Facebook as a Threat to National Security ............................................................ 64 Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 68 References ............................................................................................................... 70 Total Character Count: 140,829 3 Abstract The medium is the message. During the last decade people all over the world witnessed appearance and establishment of different kinds of social media and saw how they little by little had become stronger and more powerful. Being extremely accessible, they enabled any person to contribute to the creation of meaning and to express his/her will. Social media played an extremely important role in the global wave of protests, which started in 2011 with the Arab Spring. This research focuses on the Russian protests of 2011-2012 and approaches the functioning of social media from the perspective of cultural sociology, analyzing the discourse of Facebook messages and comments concerning the organization of the Russian political meetings and demonstrations. Besides the content of the messages, their number and spreading speed were also scrutinized, in order to identify the role of Facebook in the Russian “White Revolution”. The results showed that Facebook was used as one of the main tools for the organization of protests, as people had tended to express their political views via this social network. Thus, taking into account the enormous audience of social media and the scale of protests, which can be organized with their help, it can be stated that social media are becoming a powerful weapon for people, especially in times of social disturbances. Therefore, they can be considered a threat to national security. Keywords: social media, protests, Russia, discourse analysis 4 Introduction The medium is the message. For a long time people lived in the world of classical media that were established, funded, and developed by different social and political forces. The message of a particular medium was shaped by the political views and social status of its creators and owners, and it was not so hard to orient oneself in the world of various media. However, during the last decade we witnessed appearance and establishment of different kinds of social media and saw how they little by little had become stronger and more powerful. In case of social media it is no longer obvious who is responsible for creating the meaning of a particular source and it seems that any person has equal right and access to these type of media and can contribute to the creation of meaning. Taking into account the speed of the information flow in the modern technological world, such accessibility may potentially lead to many problems and even disasters on social, national, and even worldwide levels. With social media it is extremely easy to spread any false information and thus incline people to trust it. Repeated by many, especially by people whom you trust, any information becomes believable. This may cause a misunderstanding of any situation—political or social— by large groups of people and potentially lead towards the collisions based only on the wrong interpretation of facts. Even the usage of social media for the purpose of charity (for example, when some amount of money is needed for a surgery and people try to collect it via Twitter or Facebook) can be dangerous now, since you never know if the situation described in a sorrowful pleading is real or not. With the anonymity, which is common for the Internet, social media become a perfect place for any kind of fraud. The information is spreading within the networks of social media like a virus, 5 and this virus is likely to capture people‟s consciousness. As a result, we can see a boom of revolutionary and protest activity in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and this activity is not just a local phenomenon, it is observed all over the world (e.g. the Arab Spring, the Occupy Movements in the USA and in Russia, British and Spanish riots of 2011). In some countries (Egypt, Tunisia) this protest activity led towards some prominent changes in the state structure; in others (the USA, the Great Britain, Russia) its impact was not so serious. However, it can be said for sure that these protests were not unnoticed; in each country they caused a lot of concerns at the time. With this research, I would like to address the issue of social media from the perspective of national security. Apart from the entertaining component of social media, in the recent years people started to take them as a perfect ground to express their political views and, therefore, social media became a powerful weapon for people, especially in times of social disturbance. What are the consequences of this transition? While people got a tool, which allows them to coalesce quickly if needed, the governments all over the world got a complicated apparatus, which can either help them to establish closer connection with the citizens of their countries or become a real threat to national security. As for now, most of the governments try to take advantage of social media; many governmental institutions create and maintain their accounts in various social networks and use them to interact with ordinary citizens, regularly on bilateral basis (the institutions share some public information on their pages, while people can submit their queries directly to the social media account of the particular organization and get response). However, in times of social disturbance many governments tend to block social media, as it was during the 2011 protests in Egypt (Alexander 2011) or in Turkey in 2014 (Lenta.ru 2014). The question whether such anxiety is reasonable for governments seems very 6 interesting to research. Using an example of the Russian “White Revolution” of 2011- 2012, for this study I am analyzing the role of social media, particularly Facebook, in these events and trying to understand the potential danger of the social networks. Scrutinizing the content of the Facebook messages related to the protests from the perspective of cultural sociology, I am also assessing the scale of the Facebook audience involved in the protest activity and illustrating the changes observed during the movement. As a result, I show a general image of the Russian protest discourse with a particular focus on the period at the peak of the protest movement in December 2011. This discourse was developed on the basis of the clear division of its “sacred” and “profane” components, which I also analyze in this study. Based on the analyzed data, I am stating that Facebook was used as one of the main tools for the organization of the Russian protests and pointing out its potential threat to national security. Despite the fact that these protests came more or less to nothing, I show the future potential of social media in terms of the organization of all kinds of protest activity and explain why governments tend to block them in times of social disturbance. Theoretical Background and Literature Review The Cultural Turn to Social Media: Jeffrey Alexander In the recent years social media became an inherent part of people‟s life, allowing every person to create his/her own page within the global network 1 . Therefore, they became the specific tools, which people started to use in the day-to- day process of the cultural formation. A part of the cultural capital2 continuously 1 The biggest social network, Facebook, achieved a number of 1,000,000 users in 2012 and continues to grow (CNET 2012). 2 The term “cultural capital” was suggested by Pierre Bourdieu.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • James Rowson Phd Thesis Politics and Putinism a Critical Examination
    Politics and Putinism: A Critical Examination of New Russian Drama James Rowson A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Royal Holloway, University of London Department of Drama, Theatre & Dance September 2017 1 Declaration of Authorship I James Rowson hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: ______________________ Date: ________________________ 2 Abstract This thesis will contextualise and critically explore how New Drama (Novaya Drama) has been shaped by and adapted to the political, social, and cultural landscape under Putinism (from 2000). It draws on close analysis of a variety of plays written by a burgeoning collection of playwrights from across Russia, examining how this provocative and political artistic movement has emerged as one of the most vehement critics of the Putin regime. This study argues that the manifold New Drama repertoire addresses key facets of Putinism by performing suppressed and marginalised voices in public arenas. It contends that New Drama has challenged the established, normative discourses of Putinism presented in the Russian media and by Putin himself, and demonstrates how these productions have situated themselves in the context of the nascent opposition movement in Russia. By doing so, this thesis will offer a fresh perspective on how New Drama’s precarious engagement with Putinism provokes political debate in contemporary Russia, and challenges audience members to consider their own role in Putin’s autocracy. The first chapter surveys the theatrical and political landscape in Russia at the turn of the millennium, focusing on the political and historical contexts of New Drama in Russian theatre and culture.
    [Show full text]
  • The Usual Suspects Protesting in Russia Harriman Magazine Is Published Biannually by the Harriman Institute
    the harriman institute at columbia university the usual suspects Protesting in Russia Harriman Magazine is published biannually by the Harriman Institute. Managing Editor: Ronald Meyer Editor: Masha Udensiva-Brenner Comments, suggestions, or address changes may be e-mailed to Masha Udensiva-Brenner at [email protected]. Cover photo by Artem Drachev: Demonstration in Moscow on Bolotnaya Square, May 6, 2012. Design and Production: Columbia Creative Harriman Institute Kimberly Marten, Acting Director (2012–2013) Timothy Frye, Director Alla Rachkov, Associate Director Lydia C. Hamilton, Program Manager, Alumni and Student Affairs Harriman Institute Columbia University 420 West 118 Street New York, NY 10027 Tel: 212-854-4623 Fax: 212-666-3481 For the latest news and updates about the Harriman Institute, visit www.harriman.columbia.edu. Stay connected through Facebook and Twitter! www.twitter.com/HarrimanInst www.facebook.com/pages/The-Harriman- Institute/165273220175750 FROM THE DIRECTOR elcome to the inaugural issue of the Harriman Magazine. Our hope is that the magazine will allow us to develop deeper and more sustained ties with W the alumni of the Institute—our MARS degree recipients and Harriman Certificate holders—as well as with our visiting scholars and postdoctoral fellows, as they progress in their careers. The Alumni Notes section will be a permanent feature; in the next issue we will begin publishing Postdoc Notes—so please send us your information. The heart of the magazine will feature in-depth profiles and stories about Institute alumni, visitors, faculty, and students and their projects. Our inaugural issue profiles two alums who have worn many hats at Harriman.
    [Show full text]
  • Russia 2012-2013: Attack on Freedom / 3 Introduction
    RUSSIA 2012-2013 : Attack on Freedom Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Article 4: No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, February 2014 / N°625a Cover photo: Demonstration in front of the State Duma (Russian Parliament) in Moscow on 18 July 2013, after the conviction of Alexei Navalny. © AFP PHOTO / Ivan Novikov 2 / Titre du rapport – FIDH Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 1. Authoritarian Methods to Suppress Rights and Freedoms -------------------------------- 6 2. Repressive Laws ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8 2.1. Restrictions on Freedom
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom of Expression in Russia As It Relates to Criticism of the Government
    Emory International Law Review Volume 27 Issue 2 2013 Freedom of Expression in Russia as it Relates to Criticism of the Government Tatyana Beschastna Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/eilr Recommended Citation Tatyana Beschastna, Freedom of Expression in Russia as it Relates to Criticism of the Government, 27 Emory Int'l L. Rev. 1105 (2013). Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/eilr/vol27/iss2/10 This Comment is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Emory Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Emory International Law Review by an authorized editor of Emory Law Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BESCHASTNA GALLEYSPROOFS2 5/1/2014 9:09 AM FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN RUSSIA AS IT RELATES TO CRITICISM OF THE GOVERNMENT Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. —Martin Luther King Jr. INTRODUCTION Freedom of expression in Russia appears to be slowly eroding, Russian Government promising to protect human rights, including the right to freedom of expression. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the transition from “Old” Russia to “New” Russia were associated with many new hopes and promises.1 One such promise was the establishment of new human rights standards, including the fundamental right to freedom of expression. This promise was made by the ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights (Convention) in May of 1998.2 Previously under the oppressive governments of Stalin and his successors, Soviet Russia enjoyed no freedom of expression.3 Under Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia began a new movement commonly known as “Perestroika,” a Russian word that literally translates to “restructuring.”4 Perestroika ushered in a new era of hope and freedom and was heralded both domestically and internationally as an opportunity to change the oppressive policies of the past and establish new respects for the rights of the individual.5 The collapse of the 1 Mikhail S.
    [Show full text]
  • Discourse in Danger: Attacks on Free Expression in Putin's Russia
    DISCOURSE IN DANGER ATTACKS ON FREE EXPRESSION IN PUTIN’S RUSSIA DISCOURSE IN DANGER: ATTACKS ON FREE EXPRESSION IN PUTIN’S RUSSIA January 25, 2016 © PEN American Center 2016. All rights reserved. PEN American Center is the largest branch of PEN International, the world’s leading literary and human rights organization. PEN works in more than 100 countries to protect free expression and to defend writers and journalists who are imprisoned, threatened, persecuted, or attacked in the course of their profession. PEN America’s 4,300 members stand together with more than 20,000 PEN writers worldwide in international literary fellowship to carry on the achievements of such past members as James Baldwin, Robert Frost, Allen Ginsberg, Langston Hughes, Arthur Miller, Eugene O’Neill, Susan Sontag, and John Steinbeck. For more information, please visit www.pen.org. Cover photography by Sergey Norin CONTENTS Introduction 4 Overview and Methodology 5 Legal Framework 6 Regulating the Information Space: Roskomnadzor 9 Shaping Children’s Minds 16 Closing Intellectual and Cultural Spaces 19 Reining In Civil Society 22 Conclusion: Navigating the Closing Space 24 Acknowledgments 26 Appendix 1: PEN American Center Letter to the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. 27 Appendix 2: Response from Russian Embassy to PEN Request for Comment 28 Endnotes 32 INTRODUCTION Freedom of expression has been one of the worst casu- alties of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 15-year as- Putin has seized upon sault on democratic institutions and values. When Putin first came to power in 2000, he began systematically to information as a key dismantle, weaken, or fundamentally undermine dem- ocratic institutions, beginning with the press.1 Despite weapon in his fight this frontal attack on the media, some independent voic- es in traditional media remained strong and the rise in to promote Russia’s internet access and social media allowed independent online resources to flourish, including internet news sites, blogs, and social media sites.
    [Show full text]
  • Xenophobia, Freedom of Conscience and Anti-Extremism in Russia in 2014
    SoVA CENTER FoR INFoRMATIoN AND ANALYSIS Xenophobia, Freedom of Conscience and Anti-Extremism in Russia in 2014 A collection of annual reports by the SoVA Center for Information and Analysis Moscow 2015 UDC 323.1(470+571)(082.1)”2014” Содержание BBC 66.094я43+66.3(2Рос),54я43 X44 X44 Xenophobia, Freedom of Conscience and Anti-Extremism in Russia in 2014: Vera Alperovich, Natalia Yudina A collection of annual reports by the SoVA Center for Information and Analysis; Calm Before the Storm? Xenophobia and Radical Nationalism in Russia, [Alperovich Vera, Sibireva Olga, Kravchenko Maria, Yudina Natalia / Ed. by and Efforts to Counteract Them in 2014 ..................................................... 5 Verkhovsky Alexander] – М.: SOVA Center, 2015. – 164 pp.: tables Summary ............................................................................................. 5 ISBN 978-5-98418-036-8 Criminal Manifestations of Racism and Xenophobia ............................. 8 Systematic Racist and Neo-Nazi Violence ................................8 This collection of reports summarizes all the major areas of work addressed by the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis in 2014, in a similar fashion to collections in previous years. Vandalism .................................................................................. 14 There are three reports on themes which have become traditional for the SOVA Public Activity of Ultra-Right Radicals ............................................... 15 Center in this collection: The first report addresses radical nationalism and hate crime, and the efforts of government and society to combat these phenomena. The second report Position on the “Ukrainian Question” ........................................ 15 addresses problems relating to freedom of conscience in contemporary Russia. The third report addresses the misuse and abuse of ‘anti-extremism’ measures. The reports are Consequences of These Differences updated versions of original texts on the SOVA Center website.
    [Show full text]
  • European Parliament Resolution of 13 March 2014 on Russia: Sentencing of Demonstrators Involved in the Bolotnaya Square Events (2014/2628(RSP)) (2017/C 378/29)
    C 378/250 EN Official Journal of the European Union 9.11.2017 Thursday 13 March 2014 P7_TA(2014)0253 Russia: sentencing of demonstrators involved in the Bolotnaya Square events European Parliament resolution of 13 March 2014 on Russia: sentencing of demonstrators involved in the Bolotnaya Square events (2014/2628(RSP)) (2017/C 378/29) The European Parliament, — having regard to its previous resolutions on Russia, in particular its resolution of 13 June 2013 on the rule of law in Russia (1), — having regard to the statement by the Spokesperson of the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) of 24 February 2014 on the sentencing of demonstrators involved in the Bolotnaya Square events, — having regard to the Constitution of Russia, in particular Article 118 thereof, which states that justice in the Russian Federation is to be administered by courts alone, and Article 120 thereof, which provides that judges are independent and are subordinate only to the Russian Constitution and federal law, — having regard to the EU-Russia human rights consultations of 28 November 2013, — having regard to the report of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) of 17 December 2013 on its periodic visit to the Russian Federation, — having regard to the statement by the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Lukin, of 4 March 2014 on public demonstrations in Moscow and the steps taken by the law enforcement agencies, — having regard to Rules 122(5) and 110(4) of its Rules of Procedure, A.
    [Show full text]
  • Covering the Ukraine Crisis on the Ground with Maria Turchenkova, Paul Klebnikov Fellow Harriman Magazine Is Published Biannually by the Harriman Institute
    the harriman institute at columbia university FALL 2015 Covering the Ukraine Crisis On the Ground with Maria Turchenkova, Paul Klebnikov Fellow Harriman Magazine is published biannually by the Harriman Institute. Managing Editor: Ronald Meyer Editor: Masha Udensiva-Brenner Comments, suggestions, or address changes may be e-mailed to Masha Udensiva-Brenner at [email protected]. Cover photo © Maria Turchenkova: Protestor in Kyiv’s Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) during clashes with riot police in late January 2014 Photo on this page © Maria Turchenkova: Pro-Russian fighters searching for the pilots of a Ukrainian jet shot down by rebels near the city of Yenakievo Design and Art Direction: Columbia Creative Harriman Institute Alexander Cooley, Director Alla Rachkov, Associate Director Ryan Kreider, Assistant Director Rebecca Dalton, Program Manager, Student Affairs Harriman Institute Columbia University 420 West 118th Street New York, NY 10027 Tel: 212-854-4623 Fax: 212-666-3481 For the latest news and updates about the Harriman Institute, visit harriman.columbia.edu. Stay connected through Facebook and Twitter! www.twitter.com/HarrimanInst www.facebook.com/TheHarrimanInstitute FROM THE DIRECTOR am delighted to write my first note of introduction forHarriman Magazine and honored to be taking over the directorship from Tim Frye. I am deeply grateful I for his many years of thoughtful and highly effective leadership. Under Tim the Institute went from strength to strength, affirming its global reputation as a leading center of scholarship and a vibrant hub for Eurasia-related issues. I am looking forward to continuing our long tradition of supporting academic excellence and encouraging research, investigation, and debate on a wide variety of regional issues and challenges.
    [Show full text]
  • Memorial Human Rights Centre: Facts and Figures
    MEMORIAL Human Rights Centre ANNUAL REPORT 3 4 1 1 0 0 2 2 Этот материал выпущен МОО ПЦ "Мемориал", который внесен в реестр, предусмотренный ст. 13.1.10 ФЗ "Об НКО". Мы обжалуем это решение. Contents Introduction . 3 Memorial Human Rights Centre: Facts and Figures . 4 Memorial Human Rights Centre Board Members . 6 Programmes and projects of the Memorial Human Rights Centre “Hot Spots” Programme . 7 Migration Rights Network . .12 International Legal Mechanisms In Defence of Human Rights (ECHR) . 16 “Support for Political Prisoners” programme . 18 OVD-Info project . 21 Central Asia Programme . 24 Countering Fabrication of Criminal Cases on Islamic Extremism . 25 Memorial Human Rights Centre is not a “foreign agent” . 27 Finances . 28 Этот материал выпущен МОО ПЦ "Мемориал", который внесен в реестр, предусмотренный ст. 13.1.10 ФЗ "Об НКО". Мы обжалуем это решение. Introduction Board Chair of the Human Rights Centre Alexander Cherkasov the number of political prisoners falling by the Foreign Agents Law. Lawyers of the half, at the time of the opening of the Sochi Memorial HRC ECHR programme, led by Olympic Games in the winter of 2014, we Tatyana Kasatkina, drafted this. The lawyers “These have been difficult years”. That could celebrate. However, that trend did not working for the programme assisted NGOs in all too familiar phrase has only now acquired last. Soon came the “Bolotnaya Square” Russian regions in trials related to the its full meaning. In the “nasty 1990s” and the court case and its verdict, and new arrests Foreign Agents Law. In fact, a new NGO “mean 2000s” we worked in a relatively and trials took place.
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom Under Threat
    FREEDOM UNDER THREAT ClAmpdown on fREEdoms of ExpREssIon, AssEmbly And AssoCIAtIon In RUssIA Amnesty international is a global movement of more than 3 million supporters, members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. we are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. First published in 2013 by Amnesty international ltd peter benenson House 1 Easton street london wC1x 0Dw United Kingdom © Amnesty international 2013 index: EUR 46/011/2013 English Original language: English printed by Amnesty international, international secretariat, United Kingdom All rights reserved. This publication is copyright, but may be reproduced by any method without fee for advocacy, campaigning and teaching purposes, but not for resale. The copyright holders request that all such use be registered with them for impact assessment purposes. For copying in any other circumstances, or for reuse in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission must be obtained from the publishers, and a fee may be payable. To request permission, or for any other inquiries, please contact [email protected] Cover photo : Riot police clash with protesters on 6 May 2012, bolotnaya square, Moscow, on the eve of president Vladimir putin’s
    [Show full text]
  • Drawing Protest
    Museum of Contemporary Art Leipzig, 19.10.2013–19.01.2014 DRAWING PROTEST Exhibition Newspaper WILLIAM HONE & GEORGE CRUIKS- GUSTAVE COURBET, H. BALLING, HANK, “THESE ARE THE PEOPle”, THE “VIVE LA REPUBlique”, “Mrs WOODHULL ASSERTING 1525 POLITICAL HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT, WOOD ENGRAVING, LE SALUT HER RIGHT TO VOte”, WOOD ENGRAVING, LONDON 1819 PUBLIC NO.2., PARIS 1848 WOOD ENGRAVING, HARPER´S WEEKLY, – 11/25/1871 1970 A commented picture spread by Alexander Roob with The wood engraving for Charles Baudelaire’s journal on the revolution of 1848 was made after material from the archive of a drawing by Gustave Courbet. It alludes to Delacroix’ iconic depiction of “La Liberté guidant the Melton Prior Institute, le peuple” from 1830. At the fore is the motif of the barricade as a symbol of resistance. In 1871 the well-known suffragette, journalist and stockbroker Victoria Düsseldorf Woodhull protested not only against being denied electoral rights, a short while later she also self-confidently stood as the first female presidential candidate. The subject of the enormously popular illustrated pamphlet is the Anon., “L´ATTAQUE so-called Peterloo massacre. A large demonstration for freedom of ALFRED LE PETIT, expression and universal suffrage was bloodily suppressed by A´ LÁBRI DES BOUchers”, EDITORIAL BARTHEL BEHAM, cavalry troops on St. Peters Field near Manchester. “Peterloo” (an L´ILLUSTRATION, WOOD “A Choisir!”, GILLOTAGE, “Der WELT LAuf”, COppER allusion to Waterloo) became an icon of liberalism and the early ENGRAVING, PARIS 1848 LE GRELOT, PARIS, Drawing is an artistic medium that has gained ENGRAVING, NUREMBERG 1525 workers’ movement, distributed in innumerous prints.
    [Show full text]
  • Art and Repression Actionism and Socially Engaged Practices in Contempo- Rary Russia
    Art and repression Actionism and socially engaged practices in contempo- rary Russia Maria Mikhaylova BACHELOR’S THESIS April 2020 Degree Programme in Media and Arts Option of Fine Art ABSTRACT Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu Tampere University of Applied Sciences Degree Programme in Media and Arts Option of Fine Art Maria Mikhaylova Art and Repression: Actionism and socially engaged practices in contemporary Russia Bachelor's tHesis 70 pages, appendices 19 pages April 2020 THis study presents a research on How societal challenges and political regime Have influenced Russian Actionism since tHe time of its inception in 1990s and How politics affect tHe freedom of speech in art. THe objective is to determine How the agenda of Russian Actionism changed tHrougHout tHe years and How does it respond to tHe emerging issues of today. It was of interest to determine tHe impact of repression on radicality of art and wHat are tHe singularities of making art against tHe backdrop of a conservative political turn and tHe lack of civil liberties. THe research metHods used for tHis tHesis are professional literature review, con- tent analysis and etHnograpHic metHod. THree semi-structured interviews were conducted witH tHe art professionals, wHo are at some extent working witH social practice art. THe study also includes tHe views of tHe respondents on tHe present state and a possible future of Actionism and art activism in Russia, tHougHts about current political situations and social trends and How tHey affect tHe work of an artist. Full text of tHe interviews can be read in tHe appendices. THe findings indicate tHat despite a relatively small time gap between tHe emer- gence of each new Wave of Russian Actionism, tHere is a significant difference in agenda and tactics of tHe artists.
    [Show full text]