Football fandom, social justice and solidarity: the linguistic landscape of fans’ protests on the Kanjuruhan tragedy in Indonesia

Abstract

The tragedy at the Kanjuruhan football Stadium is the second worst in the world history of soccer. The excessive force and use of tear gas by the military officers led to hundreds of deaths and injuries, yet there have been inadequate responses from the authorities to investigate the case. The linguistic landscape in the forms of protest banners and posters responding to the Kanjuruhan tragedy provides a distinct arena - both in the stadium itself and wider discursive space - demonstrating that public space remains an area of contestation between civil society and the state. By drawing on the insights of linguistic landscapes (LL) and critical discourse analysis, we argue that an LL approach serves as an alternative mechanism to accommodate the subjugated voices and those seeking justice. Our findings reveal three alternative discourses, i.e. #usuttuntas, gas air mata vs. air mata ibu (tear gas vs. mothers’ tears), and humanity above football. The analysis draws attention to the importance of using LL research that can be harnessed to seek insights into broader issues, not just regarding multilingualism, but also issues relating to social change and social justice.

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