Author(s): Parvathy Rajan, Dr. Dhanya Johnson

Abstract: Graffiti has evolved from acts of vandalism to expressions of cultural resistance and political commentary. As an art form and a social discourse, graffiti represents a counter-narrative to the dominant ideologies that shape urban spaces. This paper examines graffiti as a counter-cultural practice that challenges established structures of power, aesthetics, and spatial control. Drawing upon Michel de Certeau’s The Practice of Everyday Life, the study interprets graffiti as a tactical expression within the strategic systems of the city. By situating graffiti within the global, Indian, and Kerala contexts, the paper demonstrates how acts of wall writing, stenciling, and street art become everyday practices of resistance. Through theoretical frameworks of counterculture and resistance—drawing on thinkers such as Marcuse, Hebdige, Hall, and Lefebvre—this analysis positions graffiti as an evolving site of negotiation between the governed and the governing, the visible and the erased, the dominant and the subaltern.

Keywords: Counter-Culture, Cultural Defiance, Political disruption, Street rebellion, Urban resistance.

Article Info: Received: 07 Apr 2026; Received in revised form: 01 May 2026; Accepted: 05 May 2026; Available online: 10 May 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.113.7