Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday May 03 2017, @06:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the on-the-periphery dept.

The massive Arab Spring protests that began in late December 2010 and spread from North Africa to the Middle East generated huge crowds and had quick and profound effects—including the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who had held a firm grip on the country for decades.

Was this the work of people at the core of networks trying for years to create such a movement? Not according to research by Zachary Steinert-Threlkeld, assistant professor of public policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

In a paper published in American Political Science Review, Steinert-Threlkeld argues that individuals not central to a social network may be more responsible for generating collective action and driving protest than those at the center. Steinert-Threlkeld calls his theory of the periphery's ability to mobilize "spontaneous collective action."

"Protests occur as a result of decentralized coordination of individuals, and this coordination helps explain fluctuating levels of protest," Steinert-Threlkeld wrote.

[...] "Having someone tell you, 'Hey, I'm going to protest tomorrow' is much less impactful than having multiple people tell you they are protesting tomorrow," he said. Large groups of people, as opposed to a few central individuals, are able to discuss "where to go, how to get there, when to go," as well as what is going on once there, Steinert-Threlkeld added. In addition, individuals debating whether or not to protest must receive a credible signal that large numbers of people are protesting.

The Mubarak regime initially arrested the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood because it assumed they were the only ones able to organize such large protests.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Wednesday May 03 2017, @04:33PM

    by LoRdTAW (3755) on Wednesday May 03 2017, @04:33PM (#503746) Journal

    Too lazy to RTFA...

    Go back to slashdot.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2