Overview
- Analyses the organisation and mobilisation attempts of peaceful activists in Egypt and Syria
- Highlights the importance of leaders in the organisation of digitally supported protests
- Contributes to the debates over offline and online forms of political and civic participation
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Young People and Politics (PSYPP)
Access this book
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
About this book
This book explores in detail new protest organisation and mobilisation strategies of young activists in the digital age with the aim to identify the tactics that worked well against those creating high risks in the context of digitally supported protests. Focusing on Egyptian protests as well as peaceful protests in Syria, the book offers rich and unique data as it brings together the experiences and voices of the key figures involved in the protests, both on the ground and online. It challenges perspectives that defined the Arab uprisings as leaderless movements formed through the non-hierarchical communication of digital technologies. The author presents three kinds of leaders that shape the political communication environment in digitally supported protests and highlights the significance of their leadership skills to the movements’ capacities.
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
- social movements
- occupy protests
- arab uprisings
- ICT
- leadership
- Syrian protests
- Egyptian protests
- populism
- digitally supported protests
- resource mobilisation theory
- Deraa protests
- March 15 protests
- Syrian Revolution 2011
- violence
- political experience
- communication tactics
- responsiveness to external conditions
- long-term adaptation
- connective action
- political participation
Table of contents (8 chapters)
-
Front Matter
-
Back Matter
Reviews
“Leading Protests in the Digital Age provides an efficient resource for readers, especially those interested in the Arab Spring uprisings. ... the study is a useful resource for readers from different disciplines such as journalism, sociology and political science, and academics working on the Syrian refugee issue.” (Merve Şentöregil, Insight Turkey, Vol. 22 (1), 2020) “This book provides a much-needed intervention into the study of protests and digital technology in the Middle East. Through an empirically rich analysis, the author highlights how events in Egypt and Syria can only be understood by analysing the intersections of organisational structures, resources, and technology. This is essential reading for anyone interested in Egypt, Syria, or protests in the digital age.” (Rhys Crilley, Research Associate in Global Media and Communication, The Open University, UK)
“The youth revolutions that began in the Middle East in 2011 have reshaped the face of the region, provoking both reforms and harsh crackdowns, and sometimes even civil war. New media have been important tools for both protests and reaction, and Aslan Ozgul guides us expertly in the ways similar repertoires of social action in Egypt and Syria resulted in dramatically different outcomes, even if authoritarianism ultimately prevailed in both. For anyone seeking to understand the contemporary Middle East, this is an essential book.” (Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History, University of Michigan, USA)
“Aslan Ozgul’s brilliant study blends rigorous theory testing with a very human care for the stories of young activists to build up a compelling explanation of the creation, success and failure of protest movements. Readers will come away from this book with a greater understanding of the role and limits of digital media for leadership and political change. They will also be moved by the unforgettable vignettes and vivid images from the front-line accounts of those who, in the author’s words, embody the spirit of change’ in Egypt and Syria.” (Ben O’Loughlin, Professor of International Relations, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK)
“Based on a unique comparative design and a wealth of rich interview data with local activists in Egypt and Syria, Billur Aslan Ozgul provides novel insights on how activists employ ICTs to engage other citizens in the pursuit of freedom and change. By showing that mobilization repertoires, leadership networks, and available resources shape digital media's contribution to the conduct and outcome of protests, the book provides much needed nuance and contextual insight on the power of social media in the Arab spring. It charts new ground in the study of the internet and participation, offering an innovative conceptualization of leadership, a nuanced theoretical model, and valuable empirical analysis.” (Cristian Vaccari, Reader in Political Communication, Loughborough University, UK)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Billur Aslan Ozgul is Lecturer in Political Communication at Brunel University London, UK. Her work on social movements, social media and the Middle East has been published in the International Journal of Communication, Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, and the Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Leading Protests in the Digital Age
Book Subtitle: Youth Activism in Egypt and Syria
Authors: Billur Aslan Ozgul
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Young People and Politics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25450-6
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-25449-0Published: 02 October 2019
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-25452-0Published: 02 October 2020
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-25450-6Published: 21 September 2019
Series ISSN: 2946-501X
Series E-ISSN: 2946-5028
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 244
Number of Illustrations: 2 b/w illustrations
Topics: Political Communication, Democracy, Middle Eastern Politics, African Politics