The Arab Spring Abroad

The Arab Spring Abroad
Diaspora Activism against Authoritarian Regimes

Part of Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics
AUTHOR: Dana M. Moss, University of Notre Dame, Indiana

Description

The Arab Spring revolutions of 2011 sent shockwaves across the globe, mobilizing diaspora communities to organize forcefully against authoritarian regimes. Despite the important role that diasporas can play in influencing affairs in their countries of origin, little is known about when diaspora actors mobilize, how they intervene, or what makes them effective. This book addresses these questions, drawing on over 230 original interviews, fieldwork, and comparative analysis. Examining Libyan, Syrian, and Yemeni mobilization from the US and Great Britain before and during the revolutions, Dana M. Moss presents a new framework for understanding the transnational dynamics of contention and the social forces that either enable or suppress transnational activism.

Advances new theory by demonstrating how four social forces-conflict transmission, transnational repression, resource conversion and geopolitical support-help or hinder diaspora activism
Compares social movement groups from communities that have previously received little attention in the sociology of migration, transnationalism, and ethnic and racial minorities
Integrates insights from sociology, political science, and area studies