Abstract
This paper examines major protest movements from 2011 to 2022, focusing on their occupation and transformation of public spaces within contemporary society. As part of a university research project in collaboration with the Program in Cultural Studies, the study traces the Hambach Forest protests, 15-M Movement, Umbrella Movement, Occupy Wall Street, Gezi Park protests, and June Journeys. Using a timeline-based approach and analyzing social media narratives, the project identifies hybrid activism forms that challenge traditional notions of public space and democratic participation. The analysis is structured around four dimensions: physical-material substrates, action and interaction structures, regulatory systems, and symbolic systems. While rooted in local contexts, these movements share global themes, particularly the convergence of street protests and digital activism to contest public policies, capitalist expansion, and democratic erosion. Social media platforms, especially Twitter, played a vital role in shaping these movements’ visibility and mobilization. Ultimately, these protests created new interfaces between public/private and physical/digital realms, establishing distinct protest territorialities, narratives, and political discourses.
Presenters
Ursula KirschnerProfessor, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany Nayara Benatti
Student, PhD Candidate, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—From Democratic Aesthetics to Digital Culture
KEYWORDS
PROTEST, MOVEMENTS, PUBLIC, SPACE, TIMELINE, SOCIAL, MEDIA
