The goal of this thesis is to understand more clearly the interpretations of the Confederate Battle Flag and statues, and how an analysis of the interpretations of the symbols featured in this case...Show moreThe goal of this thesis is to understand more clearly the interpretations of the Confederate Battle Flag and statues, and how an analysis of the interpretations of the symbols featured in this case benefits understanding heritage constructions, negotiations, and dissonance. The finding of the different interpretations of the Confederate Battle Flag and statues was done through the analysis of media bias, historical research, and literature. These interpretations are then compared to similar case studies and theoretical heritage research to find out how these interpretations came to be and how they can be explained. Important aspects of heritage construction are that the maker of heritage decides wat is remembered. This selective remembrance is the primary cause of the lack of negotiations between opposing sides in the case of the Confederate symbols, because there is no understanding for the basis of the arguments of the ‘other side’. The heritage dissonance of these Confederate symbols, i.e. different interpreted message of monuments by groups of people, lead to tensions because of the charged history of racial inequality and slavery in the United States, exacerbated further by a lack of understanding that has trouble being resolved.Show less
This thesis examines the visual language of the 'Mouvement National de Liberation de l’Azawad' and how Azawad aims to visually legitimize itself as a nation. Its multi-ethnic demographics show how...Show moreThis thesis examines the visual language of the 'Mouvement National de Liberation de l’Azawad' and how Azawad aims to visually legitimize itself as a nation. Its multi-ethnic demographics show how a public can assume its own agency through visual works created in a group setting. While the interstice is determined to be a space where communication outside of the norm can take place, the use of ‘banal nationalism’ as described by Michael Billig shows that, if anything, the location of this interstice is difficult to determine. The group agency does not translate to the presentation of the works outside of the region as is shown in the work Jonas Staal presented in Utrecht at Basis Aktuele Kunst in 2012. Instead, the works have been re-appropriated to fit within Staal’s concept of a ‘stateless state’. Bourriaud’s theory on relational aesthetics along with Ernesto Laclau’s description of emancipatory dimensions allow for a discussion on the public’s involvement in the creation of the ‘self’ in relation to the ‘other’. Michael Billig’s concepts on nationalism create an interdisciplinary approach in this thesis and show that this legitimization is partly achieved through the use of the language of banal nationalism.Show less
