Popular Contention, Regime, and Transition: The Arab Revolts in Comparative Global Perspective

Although episodes of resistance and contention in authoritarian and authoritarian-like regimes constitute the majority of mass political movements worldwide, the theories and models of popular contention have been developed on liberal-democratic assumptions. Prompted by the recent revolutionary waves in the Middle East and North Africa, Popular Contention, Regime, and Transition offers a deeper understanding of the complex and indeterminate linkages between popular protest, regime type, and transitions in democratic and authoritarian regimes alike.

Through a diverse array of case studies from countries around the world, this volume places the Arab Spring uprisings in comparative perspective, demonstrating the similarities and parallels between contentious events in democratic and authoritarian-like regimes. Leading scholars in the fields of political science, sociologoy, and international studies discuss topics such as the set of initial conditions involved in the protest, prospects of contention, and forms of protest, as well as the role of historical legacies, regime responses, the military, social polarization, and external factors in the divergent outcomes of protest. By situating the study of contention in authoritarian and semi-authoritarian regimes in comparative perspective, Popular Contention, Regime, and Transition generates powerful insights into the impetus, dynamics, and consequences of contention in all contexts.

Eitan Y Alimi is Associate Professor of Political Sociology at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and co-author of The Dynamics of Radicalization (2015).

Avraham Sela is A. Ephraim and Shirley Diamond Family Professor Emeritus of International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Mario Sznajder is Leon Blum Professor of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.