A tale of two squares: spatial iconization of the Al Tahrir and Rabaa protests

Abstract

Both Al Tahrir and Rabaa Squares have a significant iconized value especially after being involved as places in which to stage protests. Since, protests and revolts take place in public spaces, the visualization of these spaces reveals much about the representation and circulation of the protesters’ ideologies, trends and attitudes. This article explores the role of visual representations in the production of protest urban spaces. In so doing, the visual spatiality of the Al Tahrir protest and Rabaa camp, as presented in Getty Images’ online news gallery, are considered through a spatial semiotic lens. In this regard, the article draws upon tools for the analysis of semiotic resources in spatial texts, concepts of spatial semiotics (Stenglin, 2004, 2009, 2011) and spatial engagement (McMurtrie, 2012). These tools are employed to reveal the representational dimension of space (Lefebvre, 1991). The intersection between the spatial practices and representational space, as mediated by the visual medium, is then underlined.