Abstract

This study examines the use of placards as a tool for advocating social change. The issue of racism remains a societal ills and the study focuses on how language as well visual elements like placards can be employed to provoke societal change. The speech acts theory by Austin and Searle classified into locution, illocutionary and perlocutionary and Hoye and Kaiser’s visual pragmatic act theory are used for the analysis. 10 anti-racism placards selected randomly from the internet are analysed using a descriptive qualitative approach. The results reveal that illocutionary actions like expressive, commissives, directives  and representatives are performed while the visual elements employed in the placards also evoke strong signals of warning, commanding and other emotions aimed at bringing about an end to racial subjugation.