Abstract
What accounts for the survival and long-term participation of activists in contentious movements under repression? I argue for the role of an important yet oft-neglected factor: protective support by civilian bystanders. I propose that, mainly motivated by victim-oriented sympathy, bystanders engage in high-risk protection that helps activists to escape crackdowns and bolsters their dedication to the movement. To test my theoretical claims, I examine hard cases for activist survival at the height of state violence during military rule in Myanmar between 1988-2010, with an original qualitative dataset consisting of oral history interviews and written accounts by more than 100 protest observers and former pro-democracy activists. The dataset presents an unprecedented number of voices from the average, non-contentious general public, which are mostly missing in existing research on social movements. This approach generates a fresh perspective to better understand opportunities and constraints around movement entrepreneurs in hostile environments.
Originalsprog | Engelsk |
---|---|
Tidsskrift | Asian Politics and Policy |
Vol/bind | 15 |
Udgave nummer | 2 |
Sider (fra-til) | 205-225 |
Antal sider | 21 |
ISSN | 1943-0779 |
DOI | |
Status | Udgivet - 2023 |
Bibliografisk note
The work on this article was supported by funding from the European Union’s research and innovation programme HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ACCESS-03-01 under grant agreement No 101079069, entitled The EU in the volatile Indo-Pacific region (EUVIP). Licensing terms: CC BY.Emneord
- Det Samfundsvidenskabelige Fakultet