Illustrating dissent: What can social movement studies learn from illustration research?

This article aims to initiate a dialogue between studies of social movements and illustration research. Visual study of social movements is concerned with the interior world of the protestors; the cognitive and emotional processes that can be embodied through, among others, visual art practices such as illustration that produce visual artefacts. Although acknowledged as sources of important information regarding the cultural aspects of the protests, not much attention is paid to the creation process, stylistic differences between forms and art-making knowledge. Illustration itself also remains unacknowledged as a genre of its own. I propose that competence and even familiarity with technical knowledge of image-making processes can pave the way to a deeper understanding of the culture of the makers. As frameworks for understanding images in sociological contexts flourish, image-makers should actively participate in these discussions.