eCommons@AKU Individual Volumes ISMC Series 2014 The olitP ical Aesthetics of Global Protest : the Arab Spring and Beyond Pnina Werbner Editor Martin Webb Editor Kathryn Spellman-Poots Editor Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/uk_ismc_series_volumes Part of the African History Commons, Asian History Commons, Islamic World and Near East History Commons, and the Political History Commons Recommended Citation Werbner, P. , Webb, M. , Spellman-Poots, K. (Eds.). (2014). The Political Aesthetics of Global Protest : the Arab Spring and Beyond, p. 448. Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/uk_ismc_series_volumes/3 The Political Aesthetics of Global Protest The Arab Spring and Beyond Edited by Pnina Werbner, Martin Webb and Kathryn Spellman-Poots in association with THE AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY (International) in the United Kingdom Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations The opinions expressed in this volume are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Aga Khan University, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations. © editorial matter and organisation Pnina Werbner, Martin Webb and Kathryn Spellman-Poots, 2014 © the chapters, their several authors, 2014 First published in hardback in 2014 by Edinburgh University Press Ltd The Tun – Holyrood Road 12 (2f) Jackson’s Entry Edinburgh eh8 8pj www.euppublishing.com Typeset in Goudy Oldstyle by Koinonia, Manchester and printed and bound in Spain by Novoprint A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 0 7486 9334 4 (hardback) ISBN 978 0 7486 9335 1 (paperback) ISBN 978 0 7486 9350 4 (webready PDF) ISBN 978 0 7486 9351 1 (epub) The right of the contributors to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 (SI No. 2498). Contents List of Figures v List of Acronyms x Preface xi Timeline of the Global Protests, 2010–13 xiii 1. Introduction 1 Pnina Werbner, Martin Webb and Kathryn Spellman-Poots Part One: The Arab Spring Uprisings and their Aftermaths 2. Teargas, Flags and the Harlem Shake: Images of and for Revolution in Tunisia and the Dialectics of the Local in the Global 31 Simon Hawkins 3. Singing the Revolt in Tahrir Square: Euphoria, Utopia and Revolution 53 Dalia Wahdan 4. ‘I Dreamed of Being a People’: Egypt’s Revolution, the People and Critical Imagination 67 Hanan Sabea 5. The Body of the Colonel: Caricature and Incarnation in the Libyan Revolution 93 Igor Cherstich 6. Poetry of Protest: Tribes in Yemen’s ‘Change Revolution’ 121 Steven C. Caton, Hazim Al-Eryani and Rayman Aryani The Political Aesthetics of Global Protest Part Two: Beyond the Arab Spring – Asia and Africa 7. A Fractured Solidarity: Communitas and Structure in the Israeli 2011 Social Protest 147 Oren Livio and Tamar Katriel 8. Gandhi, Camera, Action! India’s ‘August Spring’ 177 Christopher Pinney 9. Short Circuits: The Aesthetics of Protest, Media and Martyrdom in Indian Anti-corruption Activism 193 Martin Webb 10. ‘The Mother of all Strikes’: Popular Protest Culture and Vernacular Cosmopolitanism in the Botswana Public Service Unions’ Strike, 2011 222 Pnina Werbner Part Three: Beyond the Arab Spring – American and European Protests 11. Vernacular Culture and Grassroots Activism: Non-violent Protest and Progressive Ethos at the 2011 Wisconsin Labour Rallies 263 Christine Garlough 12. Occupy Wall Street: Carnival Against Capital? Carnivalesque as Protest Sensibility 291 Claire Tancons 13. Subversion through Performance: Performance Activism in London 320 Paula Serafini 14. Spain’s Indignados and the Mediated Aesthetics of Non-violence 341 John Postill 15 The Poetics of Indignation in Greece: Anti-austerity Protest and Accountability 368 Dimitrios Theodossopoulos About the Contributors 389 Web Sources for Figures 394 Index 396 — iv — Figures Sources are provided in the figure captions. Any relevant URLs can be found in the Web Sources for Figures section at the back of the book. Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publisher will be pleased to make the necessary arrangement at the first opportunity. 1.1 R4BIA Four Finger Salute 22 2.1 Tunisian protesters confront police 35 2.2 Tunisian flag projected on child’s face 39 2.3 Protesters spelling out ‘Tunisia is free’ 42 2.4 Facebook profile picture of blood-spattered Tunisian flag 42 2.5 The final day of protests and the famous ‘Game Over’ sign 44 2.6 A sign for the foreign audience, from the final days of protest 45 2.7 A screen capture from the first unisianT Harlem Shake 48 3.1 Prayer in Tahrir Square 54 3.2 Sheikh Imam with Ahmed Fouad Negm 57 3.3 ‘We are all Khaled Saeed’ 59 3.4 Mask of Freedom 62 4.1 Bodies of Morsi supporters killed in clashes with security forces 68 4.2 Eighteen short days 73 4.3 Walls erected by the security forces around Tahrir Square 81 5.1 Image of Che Guevara versus Gaddafi 105 5.2 Image of Bob Marley versus Gaddafi 105 5.3 Martyrs of the revolution and caricature of Gaddafi 106 5.4 The municipal court 107 5.5 Effeminising and corporalising Gaddafi 108 5.6 Martyr of the revolution and Gaddafi the rat 109 5.7 Gaddafi no more 110 The Political Aesthetics of Global Protest 5.8 Gaddafi the devil 110 5.9 Gaddafi the devil, with swastika 111 5.10 Gaddafi the devil, the Mossad agent 111 5.11 Gaddafi with a scar and with stitches 112 5.12 Graffiti of Gaddafi, with exaggerated facial traits 112 5.13 Graffiti of Gaddafi 113 5.14 Further graffiti of Gaddafi 113 6.1 Protesters in Change Square 122 6.2 Yemeni woman in traditional dress in Change Square 123 6.3 Yemeni woman drawing the Yemeni and Syrian flags 124 6.4 Thousands of women protesting against the regime 125 6.5 Protesters including tribesmen ask Saleh to ‘leave’ 126 6.6 Poet performing inside a tent in Change Square 135 6.7 Protesters listen to poet performing a poem 136 6.8 Majli Al-Qubaisi performing a zamil 138 6.9 Murad tribe entering Change Square 141 6.10 Members of the Bani Jabr tribe performing a zamil 142 6.11 Protesters marching down one of Sana’a’s main streets 142 7.1 The Rothschild kitchen facilities 150 7.2 A ‘free market’ for the exchange of books and clothes 151 7.3 Domestic ‘living rooms’ on Rothschild Boulevard 152 7.4 Public lectures on Rothschild Boulevard 152 7.5 Re-reading Israel’s Declaration of Independence 154 7.6 A reworked street sign 154 7.7 ‘We are the creative class’ 158 7.8 The staging of Dira Lehaskir 160 7.9 Transformation of the popular song The Winter of ’73 160 7.10 ‘Bet ze ohel’ 163 7.11 An impenetrable ‘house’ on Rothschild Boulevard 163 7.12 The ‘Tower and Stockade’ construction on Rothschild Boulevard 164 7.13 ‘I have fun protesting here’ 164 7.14 A tent expressing solidarity inside a real home 165 7.15 Theodor Herzl on a balcony 165 7.16 ‘Fighting for home’ on the Israeli flag 166 7.17 A reworking of the national emblem of Israel 167 7.18 ‘All Israel are tents to one another’ 168 8.1 A Hazare supporter adds his signature to a banner 179 8.2 Aj ke Dhritarashtra (Today’s Dhritarashtra) 180 8.3 Ye hai hamari andhi sarkar (This is our blind government) 181 8.4 A painted banner displayed at India Gate 182 8.5 A Hazare supporter displays images 183 — vi — Figures 8.6 Kale Angrezo Bharat Choro (Black Englishmen Quit India) 186 8.7 Kailash leaves Nadga Jn 188 8.8 Main anna nahin hun (I am not Anna) 189 9.1 The Gandhian Satyagraha Brigade protest in 2007 200 9.2 ‘Condemn Corruption: Bring Lokpal’ 201 9.3 The Delhi Drive Against Bribe camp 206 9.4 Drive Against Bribe banner, Delhi, 2006 206 9.5 Janyuddh Bhrashtachar ke virodh – People’s War Against Corruption 207 9.6 The India Against Corruption campaign logo 208 9.7 Protesters in Pune, Maharashtra 209 9.8 Protesters in Israel with IAC branding images 209 9.9 Hawkers with Anna T-shirts and caps 211 9.10 Looking down Jantar Mantar Road at the 25 March 2012 protest 212 9.11 An ‘Anna Card’ bought at the 25 March 2012 event in Delhi 213 9.12 Anna Hazare taking the stage at Jantar Mantar, 25 March 2012 214 9.13 How many more martyrs in the war against corruption? 214 9.14 ‘Imandar IPS afsar shahid Narendra Kumar amar rahe’ (‘Upright/ correct IPS officer martyr Narendra Kumar, immortal/undying’) 215 10.1 Under the Morula tree 227 10.2 Johnson under the Morula tree 228 10.3 Carrying branches from the GSS grounds 228 10.4 Sausages 230 10.5 Parasols 231 10.6 Rangers choir 232 10.7 Confrontation between Mma Bakwena and BOFEPUSU 232 10.8 Bruising battle 234 10.9 Khama smashes car 235 10.10 Khama: ‘I’m gonna squeeze ’em’ 235 10.11 Khama tied to a tree 236 10.12 Masisi 237 10.13 Dancing outside the mall 239 10.14 Government news blackout 240 10.15 State-owned media poodles of government 241 10.16 Khama at a village campfire 241 10.17 Advocate Chilisa at the Industrial Court 242 10.18 Unionists at the Industrial Court 242 10.19 Industrial Court orders workers back to work 243 10.20 Doctor bins court order 244 10.21 ‘Nurse, you’re fired!’ 245 10.22 When Disaster ‘strikes!’ 246 10.23 Workers’ cars at the strike grounds 249 — vii — The Political Aesthetics of Global Protest 10.24 Thin and fat men before and after the strike 249 10.25 Ministerial flight 250 10.26 Peace meeting 251 10.27 Facing the police 253 10.28 Police in riot gear 253 10.29 Regime change: Ian must go 254 10.30 Police banner 254 11.1 Protesters at the Wisconsin Capitol 267 11.2 Advocating peaceful solutions 267 11.3 Keep the movement alive 268 11.4 Bob La Follette 268 11.5 Chicago