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Title SEMIOTICS OF SOCIAL PROTESTS: A MULTIMODAL ANLYSIS OF MAHSA AMINI WOMEN’S DEMONSRATIONS

Author(s) Siraj Ul Haq

Abstract This study undertakes a comprehensive multimodal analysis of forty strategically selected visuals from the Mahsa Amini protests, integrating Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen's Visual Grammar with Kimberlé Crenshaw's Intersectional Feminism to explore the pivotal role of visual art in fostering street activism, advocating for human rights, and challenging discrimination based on intersecting identity markers. By examining the visual strategies employed by protesters, this research sheds light on the complex ways in which visuals can disrupt dominant narratives, mobilize support, and create counter-narratives that promote social justice and human rights. Through a nuanced analysis of the visuals of the protests, this study highlights the agency, resilience, and creativity of women and marginalized groups in shaping their own narratives and resisting oppression, and demonstrates the ways in which visual art can be harnessed to contest power, challenge dominant ideologies, and promote social transformation. The findings of this research contribute to a deeper understanding of the transformative potential of visual art in shaping social movements and advancing social change, and underscore the importance of multimodal analysis in understanding the dynamics of social movements. By exploring the intersections between visual, linguistic, and spatial modes, this research reveals the complex ways in which meanings are created and negotiated in social justice activism, and highlights the critical role of visual art in shaping the narratives and outcomes of social justice activism. Ultimately, this study contributes to a nuanced understanding of the ways in which visual art can be used to promote social justice, challenge dominant power structures, and create new possibilities for human rights and social transformation, emphasizing the need for a multimodal approach to understanding the dynamics of social movements and the construction of social justice narratives.

Type Thesis/Dissertation

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Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2025-07-10

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