ARTIVISM – ERC

Super-diversity, creativity and political expression

Artistic expression represents an original way to show political criticism and demand civil rights. But how do citizens use art in activism or activism in art to create multiple forms of resistance?
This project explores new artistic forms of political expression in multicultural cities, in times of crisis and/or in oppressive conditions. Prof. Monika Salzbrunn focuses on a broad range of artistic tools, styles, and means of expression such as festive events and parades, cartoons and comics, and street art. Her work is based on multisensory ethnographic research including film-making and drawing in three principal urban settings: Italian and French towns with a strong tradition in Carnival parade, Latino immigrant cities in California (US), gateway cities in Cameroon. Building on urban studies, migration studies, and anthropology of art, Prof. Salzbrunn aims to understand how social actors engage artistically in order to trigger social, economic and political change.