The Art of Reconciliation - Understanding art from the October revolution through multimodal discourse analysis as a part of a reconciliation process in Lebanon

Sammanfattning: The art of the October revolution 2019 in Lebanon expresses narrative processes that this thesis argues can be understood as a part of the Lebanese reconciliation process relating to the civil war of 1975-1990. Following an understanding of reconciliation as a process focused on transforming relationships on mainly a societal level, and emphasizing the connection between art and shaping narratives, these findings illuminate ongoing reconciliatory change in Lebanon. Through multimodal discourse analysis rooted in a constructivist ontology, conceptual representations and narrative processes are interpreted in art pieces from three Instagram accounts dedicated to the revolution. This thesis argues that the narrative processes of breaking free, becoming Lebanese, unification, healing, and standing up to the elite, can be understood as both expressing a transformation of relationships between former adversaries in Lebanon’s 18 sects, as well as constituting a change in social beliefs of identity, past, and future. This points to the October revolution and its art as breaking path dependence on reconciliation in Lebanon, making new steps forward possible.