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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.
List 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.
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.
Summary
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.
Additional text
“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)
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"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 Sentöregil, Insight Turkey, Vol. 22 (1), 2020)
