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.
Author(s): Billur Aslan Ozgul
Series: Palgrave Studies In Young People And Politics
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 252
Tags: Political Communication, Leading Protests, Digital Age, Youth Activism, Egypt, Syria
Front Matter ....Pages i-xiii
Introduction (Billur Aslan Ozgul)....Pages 1-20
Egypt and Syria: Similarities and Differences Between Two Countries (Billur Aslan Ozgul)....Pages 21-66
Three Styles of Leadership in the Egyptian Protests (Billur Aslan Ozgul)....Pages 67-92
Resource Mobilisation Strategies Retested (Billur Aslan Ozgul)....Pages 93-132
Breaking the Silence: The Efforts of Syrian Activists to Organise and Mobilise Digitally Supported Protests (Billur Aslan Ozgul)....Pages 133-151
How the Peaceful Protests Turned into Armed Struggles in Syria (Billur Aslan Ozgul)....Pages 153-192
A Comparison of Leaders’ Capabilities and Their Resources (Billur Aslan Ozgul)....Pages 193-219
Conclusion (Billur Aslan Ozgul)....Pages 221-239
Back Matter ....Pages 241-244
