Abstract

Sites of Protest examines the global resurgence of protest movements and the ways in which they use public and private space - both physical and ‘immaterial’ - to secure attention for a wide variety of causes, cultural events and moral campaigns. The book takes its readers inside the mindset, not only of protestors and activists, but also of the state and corporate authorities that attempt to limit the impact of dissent. It also explains how media outlets frame the wide variety of international events and controversies that make up modern protest movements, and examines the myths that surround activism and the Internet. Has the landscape of dissent changed forever, or does the fact that protestors still rely on the symbolism associated with a particular ‘place’, mean that their interventions will remain localised and will fail to create a universal appeal?
Stuart Price is Professor of Media and Political Discourse at De Montfort University, Leicester.

Ruth Sanz Sabido is Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication at Canterbury Christ Church University.
Sites of Protest is a vital contribution to understanding the politics of spectacle and protest. It looks into our past - and our present - with vigour, intelligence, and commitment. A must read.
Toby Miller, Professor and Director of the Institute for Media and Creative Industries, Loughborough University
For most people, at some point in life, protest becomes a matter of necessity and even survival. This eye-opening volume takes us across sites of protest across both the physical and virtual world, reminding us of the liveness of activism and the on-going democratisation of public space.
Mark Deuze, author of Media Work and professor, Indiana University and Leiden University
Questions about the creation and seizure of alternative spaces shape our understanding of protest. This timely book reflects upon such sites, and examines the way in which they emerge and challenge many aspects of the current social order. It constitutes an illuminating and highly recommended contribution to the study of sites as a 'foundational' element in the production of protest.
Pollyanna Ruiz, Lecturer at the University of Sussex