Citizen Journalism and Narratives of Power in the Arab Revolutions

Description

This workshop for graduate students and researchers will examine the role of citizen journalists in both disrupting and reinforcing narratives articulated by those in power during the 2011 uprisings and their aftermath. Taking Egypt and Syria as case studies, we will examine whether access to social media affected whose narratives became ‘mainstream’. We will investigate the shifting boundaries of the ‘unthinkable’ and the ‘unsayable’ in the midst of social and political upheaval on a scale not seen in the region for decades, and the impact of social media on ways in which particular narratives about gender, class and religion became more or less influential during the cycle of revolution and counter-revolution.

The workshop will also include a practical element, where participants will have the opportunity to work in small groups to research and present plans for online content or a social media campaign challenging the narratives which emerged as particularly influential at key moments in the revolutionary process.

Speakers:
•    Saeb Kasm (International State Crime Initiative, QMUL)
•    Dr Ali Ali (LSE)
•    Dr Sameh Naguib (SOAS, Egypt’s Contentious Media project)

Organised by the Social Media Knowledge Exchange, International State Crime Initiative and the Egypt’s Contentious Media project with support from the Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership.

The event is free but registration is reqired. To book your place please click here or use the online registration link on the right hand side of this page.