Dr. Delia Dumitrica of Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication and Alex Schwinges (UvA/ ASCoR and IBCOM alumna) wrote an article about the rise of the powerful, determined female frame in the visual news coverage of protests. In their piece, Delia and Alex address this frame's leitmotifs, promises and challenges in the representation of the recent protests in Iran.
Since the death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the Iranian “morality police”, images of strong and unfaltering women, taking to the streets to prompt political change, have turned into global icons of the protests rocking Iran since September 2022. Even though we may encounter such images across our social media feeds, media coverage remains an important source of information about citizen unrest.
News visuals are particularly powerful: a photograph or an illustration can impress our senses and stir our emotions without the need for any words. Yet, the reverse is also true as their meaning can often be elusive, bypassing critical reflection.
- Researcher