[Commlist] New book: Leading Protests in the Digital Age: Youth Activism in Egypt and Syria

Aslan Ozgul is pleased to announce the publication of my book "Leading 
Protests in the Digital Age: Youth Activism in Egypt and Syria".

**Description**

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. Ozgul presents three kinds of leaders that shape the 
political communication environment in today’s protests and highlights 
the significance of their leadership skills to the movements’ capacities.



**Reviews**

“The youth revolutions that began in the Middle East in 2011 have 
reshaped the face of the region, provoking both reforms and harsh 
crackdowns, and sometimes even civil war. New media have been important 
tools for both protests and reaction, and Aslan Ozgul guides us expertly 
in the ways similar repertoires of social action in Egypt and Syria 
resulted in dramatically different outcomes, even if authoritarianism 
ultimately prevailed in both. For anyone seeking to understand the 
contemporary Middle East, this is an essential book.” (Juan Cole, 
University of Michigan, USA)


“Aslan Ozgul’s brilliant study blends rigorous theory testing with a 
very human care for the stories of young activists to build up a 
compelling explanation of the creation, success and failure of protest 
movements. Readers will come away from this book with a greater 
understanding of the role and limits of digital media for leadership and 
political change. They will also be moved by the unforgettable vignettes 
and vivid images from the front-line accounts of those who, in the 
author’s words, embody the/spirit of change’ in Egypt and Syria./” (Ben 
O’Loughlin, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK)


“Based on a unique comparative design and a wealth of rich interview 
data with local activists in Egypt and Syria, Billur Aslan Ozgul 
provides novel insights on how activists employ ICTs to engage other 
citizens in the pursuit of freedom and change. By showing that 
mobilization repertoires, leadership networks, and available resources 
shape digital media's contribution to the conduct and outcome of 
protests, the book provides much needed nuance and contextual insight on 
the power of social media in the Arab spring. It charts new ground in 
the study of the internet and participation, offering an innovative 
conceptualization of leadership, a nuanced theoretical model, and 
valuable empirical analysis.” (Cristian Vaccari, Loughborough 
University, UK)


“This book provides a much-needed intervention into the study of 
protests and digital technology in the Middle East. Through an 
empirically rich analysis, the author highlights how events in Egypt and 
Syria can only be understood by analysing the intersections of 
organisational structures, resources, and technology. This is essential 
reading for anyone interested in Egypt, Syria, or protests in the 
digital age.” (Rhys Crilley, The Open University, UK)

The book is available now:

https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783030254490
--
*Dr Billur Aslan Ozgul*
Lecturer in Political Communication | Social & Political Sciences | 
Brunel University London
Email: (billur.ozgul /at/ brunel.ac.uk)
Twitter: @billuraslan

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