Des murs qui chantent : analyse critique des graffitis contestataires numérisés en Algérie

Songs on the walls: critical analysis of digitized protest graffiti in Algeria

Abstract

This article deals with digitized protest graffiti in Algeria between 2019 and 2024, focusing on their reception on digital social networks (DSNs). As many protest graffiti re-appropriate popular songs that were originally non-contesting, their appropriation generates a new political and mobilising interpretation on the part of Internet users. Through a critical discourse analysis (CDA) and a study of active reception, this article examines how digitized graffiti are reinterpreted to generate tools for socio-political critique. By analyzing the five graffiti selected for this study, it was shown that there is a regeneration of the original meaning of the songs in the graffiti discourses, as a result of their interactive reception on DSNs, which enables Internet users to express their discontent and call for collective action. This article thus contributes to a better understanding of discursive dynamics in protest movements in a digital age.