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Cited by 15Political and Social IssuesPolitical Conflict and GovernanceMiddle East and Rwanda Conflicts

When Revolutionary Coalitions Break Down: Polarization, Protest, and the Tunisian Political Crisis of August 2013

Berman, Chantal·2019·Middle East Law and Governance
DOI 10.1163/18763375-01102003
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Abstract

Revolutionary coalitions often break down in the aftermath of revolution, leading to the collapse of transitional governments. Fragmentation among revolutionary elites has been extensively theorized, but few works consider the origins and consequences of polarization among non-elite protesters in the revolutionary coalition. This paper examines the case of Tunisia to unpack how polarization among former revolutionaries may drive secondary waves of mobilization that imperil governing coalitions, even when elites are cooperating. Unique protest surveys of pro- and anti-government demonstrations during the Tunisian political crisis of 2013 – which catalyzed the resignation of the country’s first elected assembly – show that polarization within this coalition occurred along ideological lines concerning the role of Islam in governance but not along class lines, as some theories of transition would predict. Revolutionaries are re-mobilized in part through divergent narratives concerning which social groups participated most in the revolutionary struggle, and which groups suffered and profited most under the old regime. This paper counters the elite-centrism of predominant “transitology” approaches by highlighting how protest politics may shape institutional transitions.

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Authors
Berman, C.
Affiliations
Princeton University (US)
Corresponding author
Berman, Chantal
ORCID
Berman, Chantal
Venue
Middle East Law and Governance
Publisher
Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Published
2019-11-24
Volume
11
Issue
2
Pages
136-179
ISSN
  • 1876-3367 (ISSN-L)
  • 1876-3375
DOI
10.1163/18763375-01102003
OpenAlex
W2991402175
Cited by
15
References
70
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 3
FWCI
10.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Middle East Law and Governance (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political and Social Issues
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Conflict and Governance
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts
Keywords
political polarization, protest mobilization, post-revolutionary transition, elite fragmentation, anti-government demonstrations, protest narratives

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