Image politics in the Middle East : the role of the visual in political struggle

Politics in the Middle East is now 'seen' and the image is playing a central part in processes of political struggle. This is the first book in the literature to engage directly with these changing ways of communicating politics in the region – and particularly with the politics of the image, its power as a political tool. Lina Khatib presents a cross-country examination of emerging trends in the use of visuals in political struggles in the Middle East, from the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon to the Green Movement in Iran, to the Arab Spring in Egypt, Syria and Libya. She demonstrates how states, activists, artists and people 'on the street' are making use of television, the social media and mobile phones, as well as non-electronic forms, including posters, cartoons, billboards and graffiti to convey and mediate political messages. She also draws attention to politics as a visual performance by leaders and citizens alike. With a particular focus on the visual dynamics of the Arab Spring, and based on case studies on the visual dimension of political protest as well as of political campaigning and image management by political parties and political leaders, Image Politics shows how visual expression is at the heart of political struggle in the Middle East today. It's a hard-hitting, enjoyable, groundbreaking book, challenging the traditional ways in which politics in the Middle East is conceived of and analyzed. Politics in the Middle East is now 'seen' and the image is playing a central part in processes of political struggle. This is the first book in the literature to engage directly with these changing ways of communicating politics in the region - and particularly with the politics of the image, its power as a political tool. Lina Khatib presents a cross-country examination of emerging trends in the use of visuals in political struggles in the Middle East, from the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon to the Green Movement in Iran, to the Arab Spring in Egypt, Syria and Libya. She demonstrates how states, activists, artists and people 'on the street' are making use of television, the social media and mobile phones, as well as non-electronic forms, including posters, cartoons, billboards and graffiti to convey and mediate political messages. She also draws attention to politics as a visual performance by leaders and citizens alike. With a particular focus on the visual dynamics of the Arab Spring, and based on case studies on the visual dimension of political protest as well as of political campaigning and image management by political parties and political leaders, Image Politics in the Middle East shows how visual expression is at the heart of political struggle in the Middle East today. It is a hard-hitting, enjoyable, groundbreaking book, challenging the traditional ways in which politics in the Middle East is conceived of and analysed. Front Cover 1 Title page 4 Copyright page 5 Table of contents 8 Illustrations 9 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction: The Visual in Political Struggle 14 Part I: Revolutionary Illusions 26 1. The Visual Legacy of the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon 28 2. Hizbullah: Image Management and Political Survival 49 3. The Politics of (In)visibility in Iran 85 Part II: Revolutionary Images 128 4. The Visual Rush of the Arab Spring 130 5. Television Images and Political Struggle 181 6. From Images of Dictators to Images of Citizens 195 Notes 222 Bibliography 243 Index 256 "Politics in the Middle East is now seen and the image is playing a central part in processes of political struggle. This is the first book in the literature to engage directly with these changing ways of communicating politics in the region {u2013} and particularly with the politics of the image, its power as a political tool."--From the publisher's website. Presents a cross-country examination of emerging trends in political communication in the Middle East, from Iran and the Mashreq to Egypt and the Gulf. It's a hard-hitting, enjoyable, ground-breaking book, challenging the traditional ways in which the communication of politics in the Middle East is conceived of and analyzed.