L’espace urbain algérois à l’épreuve de ses graffiti

Abstract

The practice of graffiti in Algiers reveals the dynamics of the lived city and the different processes of identification, nomination, and appropriation of urban space. This practice gives meaning to the city, its spaces, and its human composition. Graffiti practice imposes itself as an ethno-sociolinguistic, semiotic, and artistic marking. It reveals multiple strategies to manifest desire to say, to break taboo, and to give meaning to its presence in the city as a social actor. The purpose of this article aims to observe and analyze urban graffiti as a form of enunciation and communication. By unpacking the complex relationship between graffiti artists and political, socio-spatial, and socio-cultural norms in Algiers, this article shows that graffiti is more than just the vandalism of public space, rather it is one of many road maps to understanding the complex socio-cultural and political meaning of everyday life in Algiers. The analysis gives meaning to the types of discourses and representations mobilized by graffiti in Algiers urban space

Keywords

• Algeria
• Algiers
• Graffiti
• Urban Dynamics
• Urban Space
• Discourses