The Power of the Powerless in a Linguistic Landscape of European Cities

Oppressed people, regular citizens who lack the power to rapidly change the mindset of society and politics, are not entirely powerless. Titular powerless, those who disagree with the current social order, with the usage of omnifarious accessible ways to change the fate of citizens, pay attention to ongoing problems and injustices, and bring some colour to grey human life. Street art, sometimes verging on the illegal, has become an excellent example of informal education led by people for people and a form of revolt. The authors undertook an analysis of visual materials in the largest European cities, appreciating the pedagogy of place, the educational tenor of street art, and the forms of action of different resistance groups fighting for the rights of themselves and others. Results of the research presented in the following paper present different dimensions in which people use street art for their purposes – what those aims are, what they refer to, and what social problems they concern. Streets create the opportunity to pay attention to our own art and business, and develop marketing. On the other hand, it presents confrontation between different social groups, pretence towards political actions, and ongoing events. Others aim to boost one’s morale through hermetic images and inside jokes (or sharing the message with a specific social group) or cheer us up by means of motivational quotations. In total, eight different categories of street art stickers were distinguished in labels and posters that appeared in the cities where the research was conducted. The presented topic is very comprehensive, thus creating an opportunity to conduct further research.