I am pleased to announce that my proposal has been accepted for the 'Visual Politics of Protest' workshop, organised by the Research Committee 04 (RC04) – Visual Politics of the International Political Science Association (IPSA).
The workshop, organised by RC04 - Visual Politics and Centre for International Studies (CEI-Iscte), will take place in Lisbon, at ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon , from 14 to 16 July 2026.
I will present my paper entitled:
🧠 'Synthetic Imagery, Algorithmic Activism, and the Visual Politics of Protest in the Age of AI'
Paper abstract:
In the age of artificial intelligence, protests no longer unfold only in streets and public squares but also across digital platforms, algorithmic feeds, and immersive environments. This paper explores how AI is transforming the visual politics of protest at three interconnected levels: the symbolic production of dissent, the evidentiary status of visual material, and the infrastructural conditions through which visibility is distributed and contested. Drawing on my recent research on cognitive warfare and Synthetic Reality (Marsili, 2026), the paper analyzes both the emancipatory potential of synthetic media for social movements and the risks of manipulation, surveillance, and epistemic destabilization that they entail.
The workshop features seven thematic panels, including theories of visual politics, political communication, affective impact, framing, and counterpublics. My contribution directly responds to the call to reflect on how the visual grammar of protest is changing in the age of algorithmically generated imagery.
The extended abstract will be available at DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20241772.
🔗 For more information about the workshop: https://www.ipsa.org/na/event/ipsa-rc04-workshop-visual-politics-protest
#IPSA #RC04 #VisualPolitics #Protest #AI #SyntheticMedia #Deepfakes #CognitiveWarfare #DigitalActivism #ISCTE #Lisbon
