Abstract

This paper argues that graffiti can provide a form of socio-political commentary at the local level, and is a valuable, yet often overlooked, resource for scholars and policymakers in conflict-affected societies. Graffiti, in its many forms, can provide rich insight into societies, cultures, social issues, trends, political discourse, and spatial and territorial identities and claims. Thus, this, paper suggests that graffiti is a valuable source of knowledge in societies undergoing social and political transformation, to hear the voices of those often left out from the official discourses. Despite advances in the field of arts and international relations and the focus on the local and the everyday, peace and conflict scholarship and policy still lack systematic engagement with arts-based contributions and how to read them. The paper attempts to address this gap by outlining four core dimensions to consider when attempting to interpret and decode graffiti: the spatial, temporal, political economic and representative dimensions. This can also be viewed as an inquiry into the where, when, who and what. These four elements make up an analytical guide and enable scholars to better understand graffiti, and its political meaning and messaging.

摘要

本文认为，涂鸦可以在地方一级提供一种社会政治评论，对于在受冲突影响的社会中的学者和政策制定者而言，涂鸦是一种宝贵的资源，但常常被人们忽视。涂鸦具有多种形式，可以提供对社会，文化，社会问题，趋势，政治话语以及空间和领土特性与主张的丰富见解。因此，本文认为，涂鸦是正在经历社会和政治变革的社会中宝贵的知识来源，可以听到官方话语中经常遗漏的声音。尽管在艺术和国际关系领域取得了进步，并且关注本地和日常事务，但和平与冲突的学术和政策仍然缺乏与基于艺术的贡献以及如何阅读它们的系统性联系。本文试图通过概述在解释和解码涂鸦时要考虑的四个核心方面来解决这一差距：空间，时间，政治经济和代表性方面。这也可以视为对哪里，什么时候，谁和什么。这四个要素构成了分析指南，使学者们能够更好地理解涂鸦，涂鸦的政治含义和传达的信息。