CASE STUDY OF ANTI-CANAL ACTIVISM ON THE INDUS RIVER IN SINDH: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF PROTEST LANGUAGE THROUGH DIGITAL LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE

Abstract

This study examines the performative aspects of protest and language tactics employed by Sindhi speakers in Sindh, Pakistan, who are against the Indus River Canal Project. The research uses a qualitative case study technique and the Digital Linguistic Landscape (DLL) framework to evaluate protest related information from digital platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and online news websites. The dataset comprised social media postings, protest photographs, newspaper articles, chants, music, poetry, graffiti, and AI-generated visuals. Purposive sampling was used to collect materials that were relevant to protest narratives. The data were evaluated using qualitative content analysis, with a focus on the contextual and communicative functions of language in protest language. The study also uses Tilly's (2004) WUNC framework (Worthiness, Unity, Numbers, and Commitment) to evaluate how protestors approached their right to protest. Linguistic analysis, including vocabulary choices, grammatical structures, and discourse techniques, was also conducted. To maintain ethical considerations, only publicly posted visual data was analyzed. The findings shed light on the interplay of language, internet activism, and united resistance in a regional environmental justice movement.