The body as theme and tool of artivism in young people

Abstract

The body occupies a prominent place in the social sciences literature, where it is understood to be an important social marker. The body is either used to classify and supervise individuals and certain social groups, or as a tool for individual agency. The body might, for this reason, be conceived as a political device in the sense that the structures of power and dominant groups have always applied methods or control, surveillance and regulation over it. Thus, several social groups have, throughout history, been stigmatised, diminished or supervised based on their skin colour, gender or sexual orientation. Equally, the body also functions as a tool of resistance, disruption and afront to the ruling norms and the status quo. In this article, we base our arguments on research developed in Portugal on young people’s activism and citizenhood. Our project focussed on creative forms of engaged citizenship and political participation encompassing a range of practices, particularly in the context of artivism. This article is based on interviews conducted with young artivists, focussing on the way in which the body assumes a central role in their political efforts and artistic practices. We have concluded that it occupies a prominent place in their discourses, becoming either a source of inspiration or a tool for their artivist endeavours.