Taking the Square: Mediated Dissent and Occupations of Public Space (Radical Subjects in International Politics)

Explores a rich variety of occupations of public space in order to explore new forms of public expression and modes of citizen participation. From the Arab uprisings to the indignados movement and the global Occupy sit-ins, recent protests and civil unrest have sparked new debates about political organisation, media representation and the nature of contemporary citizenship. But is there anything new about these occupations of public space? How are these protests legitimised or undermined by the intense mediation of streets and squares? And how are these different from expressions of dissent in other contexts, including those of ethnic minorities in the New Orleans mardi gras and survivors of natural disaster in the Philippines? This book challenges the notion of a ‘disappearance of public space’ by reconsidering the significance of physical space and embodiment in the conduct and consequences of protest events. Looking at a range of assemblies–sustained and fleeting, spectacular and ordinary–this volume illuminates how square and street politics and their mediation become vehicles for new ideas of community, citizenship and public life. Contents Acknowledgements Introduction I: Street Politics, Occupations and Dissent Chapter One: Identity, Place and Politics Chapter Two: Occupying the Digital-Popular Chapter Three: Place, Protest and Communciation II: Democratic Struggles, New Publics and Mediated Protest Chapter Four: Protest as Interruption of the Disaster Imaginary Chapter Five: ‘We Live in Public’ Chapter Six: The Relationship between Online and Offline Participation in a Social Movement Chapter Seven: Mediating Movement in Occupied Spaces III: The Performance of Protest Chapter Eight: Performative Revolution in Egypt Chapter Nine: Hybridity in Street Performance of Zulu and Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans Chapter Ten: Minority Groups and Strategies of Display and Dissent in Physical, Virtual and Hybrid Spaces Index Contributors