Violence and Graphic Symbols in the Arab Spring

Our research was based on ideas of the public sphere in the last five hundred years that were discussed in HC 232, “Multiple Modernities, Ottoman and Early Modern Europe 1450-present”. We chose to focus on revolutions in the Arab Spring, and the body politic concept. We decided to discuss violence in relation to the body politic, and the way violence and violent symbols were employed in the Arab Spring. Drawing upon the ideas of the German sociologist Jurgen Habermas and historian Nina Berman, we analyzed the role of the body politic since the 16th century. We used photos, diagrams, and videos to represent different aspects of the revolutions and violence within them. We found that violence was brought into play by both the governing bodies and the general public, and symbolic violence and physical violence were both used to further the platforms of both parties.