Abstract
One new battlefield for argumentation and identity politics is opened with the spread and wide use of social media as this type of media allowed identity protagonists to use text, sound, video, images, and captions to propagate their claims. In Egypt, after the failure of the Arab Spring, and the lame and brief experience with the rule of Islamists. A new trend underscoring the rejection of any other identity of Egypt, other than its being ‘just Egypt’ became viral. A trend using ancient Egyptian history as a stage to discredit other Arab/Islamic/African markers of the Egyptian Identity. Kemet, one ancient name of Egypt is uses as a slogan and symbol, and a variety of textual and visual techniques are used by the kemetic trend to gain support, to raise claims and to dwarf opponents on social media. The study focuses on the usage of image by this ultra-nationalist kemetic trend on Facebook. Using visual content analysis, the paper studies the deployment of images on the most popular three kemetic pages and the political, cultrual, and religious implication for such a deployment of the weaponry of images.
Presenters
Ramy AhmedAssistant Professor of Political Science, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Al Qahirah, Egypt
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Image, Identity, Egypt, Nationalism, Kemet
