Protest symbols

Abstract

Recent research on social movements have shown the significant role protest symbols play in mobilizing action and constructing a shared identity for a group pressing for social change. The present article gives an overview of crowd and social movement theories that focus on how symbols form and maintain groups. Borrowing from cultural psychology and social representations theory it explores how symbols are created and the meaning making processes around them within larger groups. The article unpacks two key functions of symbols within protest: first as a motivating trigger for protest action, and second as a unifying symbol for group identity and solidarity. It concludes with a discussion of how focusing on protest symbols could inform future social psychological research.