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"I am not the only one" - exploring multimodal discourses of the Umbrella Revolution, Hong Kong.

Research output: Contribution to conference - Without ISBN/ISSN Conference paperpeer-review

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Publication date10/07/2015
<mark>Original language</mark>English
EventUK Literacy Association 51st Annual Conference - National College for Teaching and Leadership, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Duration: 10/07/201512/07/2015

Conference

ConferenceUK Literacy Association 51st Annual Conference
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityNottingham
Period10/07/1512/07/15

Abstract

The student protest movement in Hong Kong known as the Umbrella Revolution is a striking example of the international spread of youth radical democracy. Beginning with a university student boycott on 22nd September, students from schools and others inspired by the Occupy movement began persistent protests in at least three central areas of Hong Kong. Attacked with tear gas on 28th September, umbrellas were one of the means of defence taken up by largely pacifist protesters. The yellow umbrella became one of the primary emblems of the movement, as it developed a wealth of multimodal discourses, drawing on a huge range of cultural references that exhibit glocalization. We use the MODE framework on multimodality to analyse a dataset of images of protest artefacts gathered by the first author in Hong Kong in November 2014. Interpretations were initially developed through dialogues with protesters, Hong Kong people of diverse points of view and mass media. The analysis demonstrated here is the outcome of further collaborative work involving more historicized perceptions of intertextuality. We point to connections across space and time and creative manifestations of 21st century writing, reading and other communicative practices.

Bibliographic note

Paper presented at the UK Literacy Association Conference. By Julia Gillen, Selena Ho, Lancaster University and Gloria Fan Ho Nga, City University of Hong Kong.