Multimodal Semiotics of Protests and Political Movements in Pakistan (2022-2024)

Abstract

Despite the increasing frequency and impact of political protests in Pakistan from 2022 to 2024, limited academic attention has been given to their analysis through a multimodal semiotic lens, revealing a critical gap in political discourse and communication studies. This research seeks to investigate how various modes—verbal, gestural, postural, spatial, interactional, and visual—are strategically employed in political protests and movements to construct meaning, covey resistance, and mobilize public sentiment. The study adopts a qualitative descriptive approach, grounded in Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA). Data was collected from protest speeches, placards, video footage, and social media posts, particularly focusing on selected political figures and events between 2022 to 2024. The analysis examines how these materials utilize different semiotic resources and interact across modes through Resemiotization. Key contributions of this research include offering a comprehensive multimodal framework for analyzing political protests in Pakistan and demonstrating how protest leaders employ mode-specific strategies to shape ideological narratives. Additionally, the study enriches the existing body of knowledge by illustrating dynamic role of multimodal communication in illustrating the dynamic role of multimodal communication in contemporary political activism within the Pakistani context.

Keywords: Multimodal Discourse, Semiotic resources, Political protests.