The Body and Power in Tunisia: From Discipline to Rebellion and Freedom

This article traces the transformation of the relationship between the body and power in Tunisia, from a condition of subjection to control and surveillance—through appearance, behavior, and presence in public space before the revolution—to a means of political and social expression during the uprising. The revolution marked a decisive turning point, as the body became a tool of protest and a direct vehicle for political expression, whether through its mass presence in the streets, hunger strikes, self-immolation as an outcry against injustice and exclusion, or the act of undressing as a form of dissent. Despite the reemergence of certain mechanisms of control after the revolution, the body continues to play a central role in the public sphere, particularly in artistic fields such as theater and cinema, where it is mobilized to expose both symbolic and physical violence, to reclaim lost dignity, and to contribute to the construction of a counter-memory. Thus, the body is no longer merely a biological entity subjected to discipline; it has become a social agent that negotiates with power, resists it, and redefines the meanings of presence in the public domain.