Leading Protests in the Digital Age: Youth Activism in Egypt and Syria

by Billur Aslan Ozgul

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030254490
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	09/22/2019
Series:	Palgrave Studies in Young People and Politics
Edition description:	1st ed. 2020
Pages:	244
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

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.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Egypt and Syria: Similarities and differences between two countries.- Chapter 3. Three styles of leadership in the Egyptian protests.- Chapter 4. Resource mobilisation strategies retested.- Chapter 5. Breaking the silence: The efforts of Syrian activists to organise and mobilise digitally supported protests.- Chapter 6. How the peaceful protests turned into armed struggles in Syria.- Chapter 7. A Comparison of leaders’ capabilities and their resources.- Chapter 8. Conclusions.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“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)

Editorial 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)

From the Publisher