Off the wall : political posters of the Lebanese Civil War

In This Lavishly Illustrated Work, Zeina Maasri Tells The Tumultuous Story Of The Struggle For Lebanon Through The Poster Wars Which Raged On Its Streets. From 1975 To 1990, Different Factions In Lebanon's Civil Conflict Flooded The Streets With Posters To Mobilize Their Constituencies, Undermine Their Enemies, And Create Public Sympathy For Their Cause. Showcased Here For The First Time, The Posters Display A Dramatic Clash Of Cultures, Ideologies And Meanings. Maasri Shows How The Iconography Of The Posters Changed Throughout The War, And Links This To Changing Political Identities And Imagined Communities. She Explores The Factions' Different Aesthetic Influences; From Modern Arab Visual Culture To Latin America And Revolutionary Iran. Combining In-depth Knowledge Of The Local Context With Fascinating Insights Into The Semiotics Of Visual Media, Off The Wall Is A Highly Original Contribution To Our Understanding Of Visual Culture, Civil Conflict, And The Politics Of The Middle East.--back Cover. List Of Posters -- Foreword / By Fawwaz Traboulsi -- Preface -- Pt. I. The Poster In Context. Introduction: Political Posters As Symbolic Sites Of Struggle Graphic Chronologies ; Agents, Aesthetic Genres And Localities -- Pt. Ii. Themes, Icons, And Signs. Leadership ; Commemoration ; Martyrdom ; Belonging. Zeina Maasri ; Foreword By Fawwaz Traboulsi. Published In Conjunction With The Exhibition Signs Of Conflict Held In Beirut, 12 April - 1 May 2008. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [117]-131) And Index. "Political upheaval has marked Iran's history throughout the twentieth century. Wars, revolutions, coups and the impact of modernism have shaped Iran's historiography, as they have the country's history. Originally based on oral and written sources, which underpinned traditional genealogical and dynastic history, Iran's historiography was transformed in the early 20th century with the development of a 'new' school of presenting history. Here emphasis shifted from the anecdotal story-telling genre to social, political, economic, cultural and religious history-writing. A new understanding of the nation state and the importance of identity and foreign relations in defining Iran's place in the modern world all served to transform the perspective of Iranian historiography. Touraj Atabaki here brings together a range of rich contributions from international scholars who cover the leading themes of the historiography of 20th-century Iran, including constitutional reform and revolution, literature and architecture, identity, women and gender, nationalism, modernism, Orientalism, Marxism and Islamism."--Bloomsbury publishing. From 1975 to 1990, different factions in Lebanon's civil conflict flooded the streets with posters to mobilize their constituencies, undermine their enemies, and create public sympathy for their cause. This book tells the tumultuous story of the struggle for Lebanon through the poster wars which raged on its streets.