Negotiating visibility: graffiti and urban cultural expression in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia

This dissertation examines graffiti practices in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, as forms of urban visual culture through which marginalized communities negotiate identity, spatial belonging, and public visibility. Drawing on visual ethnography and urban cultural analysis, the study argues that graffiti functions not merely as aesthetic expression or vandalism, but as a socially embedded practice shaped by contested urban spaces and everyday political tensions. Based on participant observation, interviews, and visual analysis, the research demonstrates how graffiti simultaneously operates as a medium of resistance, collective identity formation, and negotiation with structures of authority and commodification. By focusing on a secondary Indonesian city rarely represented in global urban discourse, the dissertation contributes to discussions in Asian anthropology, visual culture, and urban studies concerning spatial politics, informal citizenship, and alternative forms of urban expression in Southeast Asia.