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Repressed and Dismantled? The Story of the Liberation National Social Group in Jordan
Abstract
This paper explains the unexpected trajectory of The Liberation National Social Group (LNSG), a political group that emerged onto the Jordanian public scene as part of the nationalist movement in 2007. Comprised of some of the most experienced activists in the country by 2011, the group’s development during the Arab Spring era soared to even new heights in terms of successful protest actions, building their social networks throughout the Kingdom, and challenging the ruling regime’s power and legitimacy. Equipped with protest experience, strong allies, and networks among other activist groups in the Kingdom, and the necessary technical expertise to organize and develop a platform for social change, LNSG seemed well-positioned to reach its goal of establishing a political party even with a controversial platform that directly criticized and challenged the King within a repressive, authoritarian regime context. Yet, LNSG was dismantled in less than a year. What explains this outcome? Departing from scholarship and public discourse that suggests such social movement outcomes in authoritarian contexts are a result of regime repression tactics, I argue that this is only part of the story. From interviews with former members and allies of LNSG, this research shows how other factors related to the group’s resources and local socioeconomic positions within the Kingdom are related and intertwined with the regime’s repression tactics. Accounting for these local class hierarchies is critical to understand how social movement groups like LNSG are able to mobilize and win the hearts of the public, and to also more fully account for the mechanisms that create fluctuations in their momentum and deterioration over time.
Discipline
Political Science
Geographic Area
Jordan
Sub Area
Democratization