Abstract:
This thesis investigates the relationship between creative works and nonviolent protest. It studies the impact of visual and performative art on movement building and examines the features of Creative Nonviolent Protest that make the process a viable method for cultivating a culture of peace. This thesis addresses artistic mediums from movements of United States Civil Rights era and recent demonstrations against police brutality. It uses these exemplary models as the basis for an analysis of the dynamic intersections between creative cultural production, nonviolent protest, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT). This thesis contends that art and creative media enhance nonviolent protest and movement building. It argues that ICT and the mobile-social network facilitate the rapid expansion and increased participation in social movements. It draws the conclusions that combining creative mediums, nonviolent direct action, and new technologies in social movements has the power to sustain broader public participation in the project of establishing social justice and peace today.
Description:
56 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Spanish and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2015.