Fifty shades of grotesque: Anti-austerity movements in Europe after 2008

The aim of this thesis is to examine the anti-austerity protests that took place in seven European Union countries in the post-2008 Global Economic Crisis by bringing together the Social Movements literature and the Bakhtinesque concepts of grotesque and carnivalesque. The main argument of the thesis is that, from a Bakhtinesque perspective, grotesque and carnivalesque symbols are used similarly in these antiausterity protests in Europe, despite different regional, cultural and economic elements. In the thesis, a photographical analysis will be carried out on Bakhtin's theories, social movements literature and the findings of the cases discussed, and finally a general discussion will be carried out on three main themes obtained eventually in the conclusion part. Considering the Bakhtin literature and the Social Movements literature together will provide an understanding of the connection between the behavior patterns revealed in the protests and the folk culture. Furthermore, this would also assist in grasping the relationship between the strategy, motivation and emotions of the participants and the Bakhtinesque concepts