Street Art of Resistance (Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture)

This book explores how street art has been used as a tool of resistance to express opposition to political systems and social issues around the world. Aesthetic devices such as murals, tags, posters, street performances and caricatures are discussed in terms of how they are employed to occupy urban spaces and present alternative visions of social reality. Based on empirical research, the authors use the framework of creative psychology to explore the aesthetic dimensions of resistance that can be found in graffiti, art, music, poetry and other creative cultural forms. Chapters include case studies from countries including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico and Spain to shed new light on the social, cultural and political dynamics of street art not only locally, but globally. This innovative collection will be of particular interest to scholars of social and political psychology, urban studies and the wider sociologies and is essential reading for all those interested in the role of art in social change. "‘Street Art of Resistance' ... is a definitive collection of essays; it has case studies from Belfast to Egypt, art forms ranging from murals to tattoos, and insights that are both theoretical and practical. Street art is a way for suppressed voices to gain representation in the public sphere. These voices combine the power of art to challenge assumptions with the power of the street to make things public; the result is an opening of possibility that refuses to be ignored.' -Alex Gillespie, London School of Economics and Political Science This book explores how street art is used as a tool of resistance to express opposition to political systems and social issues around the world. Aesthetic devices such as murals, tags, posters, street performances and caricatures are discussed in terms of how they are employed to occupy urban spaces and present alternative visions of social reality. Based on empirical research, the authors use the framework of creative psychology to explore the aesthetic dimensions of resistance that can be found in graffiti, art, music, poetry and other creative cultural forms. Chapters include case studies from countries including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico and Spain to shed new light on the social, cultural and political dynamics of street art not only locally, but globally. This innovative collection will be of interest to scholars of social and political psychology, urban studies and the wider sociologies and is essential reading for those interested in the role of art in social change. Sarah H. Awad is Fellow at the Centre for Cultural Psychology at Aalborg University, Denmark. Her research interests lie with the interrelation between cultural psychology, communication, and social development, and the processes by which individuals develop through times of social change. Brady Wagoner is Professor of Psychology at Aalborg University, Denmark. His publications span a wide range of topics, including cultural psychology, remembering, creativity and social change. He is associate editor of Culture and Psychology and Peace and Conflict, and co-founding editor of Psychology and Society." -- Prové de l'editor Front Matter ....Pages i-xii Introducing the Street Art of Resistance (Sarah H. Awad, Brady Wagoner)....Pages 1-16 Front Matter ....Pages 17-17 Art and Social Change: The Role of Creativity and Wonder (Vlad Petre Glăveanu)....Pages 19-37 Subjectivity, Aesthetics, and the Nexus of Injustice: From Traditional to Street Art (Thomas Teo)....Pages 39-62 Resisting Forms: Prolegomena to an Aesthetics of Resistance (Robert E. Innis)....Pages 63-83 Front Matter ....Pages 85-85 Indigenous Images of Democracy on City Streets: Native Representations in Contemporary Chilean Graffiti and Muralism (Guisela Latorre)....Pages 87-112 The Resistance Passed Through Here: Arabic Graffiti of Resistance, Before and After the Arab Uprisings (Rana Jarbou)....Pages 113-153 The Arabic Language as Creative Resistance (Basma Hamdy)....Pages 155-175 Front Matter ....Pages 177-177 Speaking Walls: Contentious Memories in Belfast’s Murals (Daniela Vicherat Mattar)....Pages 179-200 Inventive ReXistence: Notes on Brazil Graffiti and City Tension (Andrea Vieira Zanella)....Pages 201-222 Embodied Walls and Extended Skins: Exploring Mental Health Through Tataus and Graffiti (Jamie Mcphie)....Pages 223-250 Indigenous Graffiti and Street Art as Resistance (Matthew Ryan Smith)....Pages 251-274 Front Matter ....Pages 275-275 Representations of Resistance: Ironic Iconography in a Southern Mexican Social Movement (Jayne Howell)....Pages 277-300 The Democratic Potential of Artistic Expression in Public Space: Street Art and Graffiti as Rebellious Acts (Cecilia Schøler Nielsen)....Pages 301-323 The Aesthetics of Social Movements in Spain (Óscar García Agustín)....Pages 325-348 Sheherazade Says No: Artful Resistance in Contemporary Egyptian Political Cartoon (Mohamed M. Helmy, Sabine Frerichs)....Pages 349-376 Back Matter ....Pages 377-383 Annotation This title explores how street art has been used as a tool of resistance to express opposition to political systems and social issues around the world. Aesthetic devices such as murals, tags, posters, street performances and caricatures are discussed in terms of how they are employed to occupy urban spaces and present alternative visions of social reality. Based on empirical research, the authors use the framework of creative psychology to explore the aesthetic dimensions of resistance that can be found in graffiti, art, music, poetry and other creative cultural forms