Raised fist
The raised fist, or the clenched fist, is a long-standing image of mixed meaning, often a
History
The origin of the raised fist as either a symbol or gesture is unclear. Its use in
The use of the fist as a salute by
The graphic symbol was popularised in 1948 by
The raised right fist was frequently used in posters produced during the
A raised right fist icon appears prominently as a feminist symbol on the covers of two major books by
A raised fist incorporates the outline of the state of Wisconsin, as designed in 2011, for union protests against the state rescinding collective bargaining.[17]
Logo
The raised fist logo generally carries the same symbolism as a hand gesture. It was an important symbol of workers rights and labor movements, as well as specific labor actions, such as strikes, boycotts, and walk-outs.
Notable examples include the
The image gallery shows how a raised fist is used in
The Unicode character for the raised fist is U+270A ✊ .
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Solidaritycartoon 1917
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Civil liberties poster 1940
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Painted symbol of the Power Fist
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The "Gonzo fist"
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Otpor!
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Kach and Kahane Chai
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Piotr Uklański, Untitled (Fist) 2008
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Stand with Wisconsin, 2011 (Wisconsin AFL-CIO)
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Librarians Against DRM
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White power fist, used by white nationalists and white supremacists, popularised by the band Skrewdriver.
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George Floyd protest, 2020
Salute
Different movements sometimes use different terms to describe the raised fist salute: amongst communists and socialists, raised right fist is sometimes called the red salute, whereas in the United States it is widely known as the
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, medal winners John Carlos and Tommie Smith gave the raised fist salute during the American national anthem as a sign of black power, and as a protest on behalf of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. They were banned from further Olympic activities by the IOC, as the rules then in place prohibited any political statements at the Olympics. The event was one of the most overtly political statements[25] in the history of the modern Olympic Games. Tommie Smith stated in his autobiography, "Silent Gesture", that the salute was not a Black Power salute, but in fact a human rights salute.[26]
The raised right fist is used by officials in People's Republic of China when being sworn into office.[27]
Psychologist Oliver James has suggested that the appeal of the salute is that it allows the individual to indicate that they "intend to meet malevolent, massive institutional force with force of (their) own", and that they are bound in struggle with others against common oppression.[8]
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The raised fist was the official salute of communist partisan armies throughout theYugoslav partisan.
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Gold medalist Tommie Smith (center) and bronze medalist John Carlos (right) showing the raised fist on the podium after the 200 m race at the 1968 Summer Olympics
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February 15, 2003: A woman raises her right fist in solidarity with protestors opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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Former PresidentDonald J. Trump giving the raised fist during his inaugurationin 2017.
See also
- 1968 Olympics Black Power salute
- 1972 Olympics Black Power salute
- Black Lives Matter
- Bras d'honneur
- Civil disobedience
- "Death to fascism, freedom to the people"
- "Hands up, don't shoot"
- Lal Salam
- Taking the knee
References
- ^ Seravalle, Francesca (2017). "The Fist Photos: On the Polysemy of the Fist". Photographic Museum of Humanity. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ Gurley Flynn, Elizabeth (1977). Memories of the Industrial Workers of the World. New York: American Institute for Marxist Studies. p. 6.
- ^ Reed, John (June 1913). "War in Paterson". The Masses.
- JSTOR 3527066.
- ^ Berkman, Alexander (July 1914). "The Lexington Explosion" (PDF). Mother Earth. IX: 155 – via Libcom.org.
- S2CID 144046575– via JSTOR.
- ^ "May 1 Labour Day: What is International Workers' Day?". Al Jazeera. May 1, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- Rotfront, which was adopted by the republican Popular Army.
- ^ "Mexican posters on social and educational themes". docspopuli.org. Archived from the original on 5 May 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ Patton, Phil (10 January 2006). "Not Your Grandparent's Clenched Fist". American Institute of Graphic Arts. Archived from the original on 9 September 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- rfi.fr. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ISSN 1753-9854. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- NYTimes.com. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- ^ Author's website Archived 2020-11-27 at the Wayback Machine, as accessed September 5, 2012.
- ^ Author's website Archived 2021-02-25 at the Wayback Machine, as accessed September 5, 2012.
- ^ "The Story Behind the Blue Fist - Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog". Typepad. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- ^ "History: USA: The Black Panther Party".
- ^ "Anti-Defamation League - Aryan Fist".
- ^ "Does Northern Ireland need Red Hand sculpture?". Belfast Telegraph. 2010-05-10. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
- ^ Whalen, L. (2007). Contemporary Irish Republican Prison Writing Writing and Resistance. Palgrave MacMillan US. p. 91.
- ISBN 978-9027228475. Retrieved 16 January 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ Korff, Gottfried: "Symbolgeschichte als Sozialgeschichte? Zehn vorläufige Notizen zu den Bild- und Zeichensystemen sozialer Bewegungen in Deutschland", in: Warneken, Bernd Jürgen (Hg.): "Massenmedium Strasse. Zur Kulturgeschichte der Demonstrationen." Frankfurt/Main 1991. S. 27–28. Cited in: Schulte-Rummel, Sven "Die politische Symbolik der Kommunistischen Partei Deutschlands in der Weimarer Republlik" [1]. "Im Gegensatz zu den meisten anderen Symbolen der Kommunisten beginnt die Geschichte der geballten Faust in der Ära der Weimarer Republik. Sie war prägendes Symbol bei Straßenaufmärschen, Spiegel der gewaltbereiten Demonstranten, die voller Frust über das System dem Staat die geballte Faust zeigten." Translation: "Unlikely the most of other Communists symbols, the history of Raised right fist started in the era of Weimar Republic. It was a definitive symbol of street marches, reflection of the marchers who were ready for violence, who were disappointed by the whole system of the state and showed their clenched fists to it."
- ^ Rolfe, Mary. Letter to Leo Hurwitz and Janey Dudley, 25 November 1938. Reprinted in Cary Nelson and Jefferson Hendricks, eds. "Madrid 1937: Letters of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade from the Spanish Civil War," Routledge: 1996. [2]
- ^ Lewis, Richard (2006-10-08). "Caught in Time: Black Power salute, Mexico, 1968". London: The Sunday Times. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ISBN 978-1-59213-639-1pg. 22 quotes: "To this very day, the gesture made on the victory stand is described as Black Power salute; it was not." "We were students, and we were dedicated to the Olympic Project for Human Rights."
- ^ "State Council holds first swearing-in ceremony to uphold Constitution". The State Council of the People's Republic of China. Sep 18, 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
External links
- A brief history of the 'clenched fist' image Archived 2020-12-06 at the Wayback Machine
- Bitter price of Olympics' iconic image Archived 2012-04-18 at the Wayback Machine – from Los Angeles Daily News
- India Faces Maoist 'Red Salute' – from BBC World News
- Aryan Fist article – from the Anti-Defamation League
- Jenna Amatulli: The Raised Fist Emoji Is Social Media’s Resistance Symbol