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Cited by 50Political Conflict and GovernanceMiddle East Politics and SocietySocial Movements and Cultural Identity

Mobilizing From Scratch: Large-Scale Collective Action Without Preexisting Organization in the Syrian Uprising

Pearlman, Wendy·2021·Comparative Political Studies
DOI 10.1177/0010414020912281
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Abstract

Core social movement research argues that large-scale challenges to authority build upon preexisting organization and civil society resources. How do dissenters mobilize masses in repressive settings where, given curtailment of civil society, autonomous associations scarcely exist and norms discourage trust more than encourage it? Testimonials from the Syrian uprising illustrate how protest can become widespread under such conditions, yet occurs through processes different from what dominant theory expects. Activists get demonstrations off the ground by planning around awareness of their organizational deficits. Once in motion, contention propels both organization and increasing organizational sophistication. To be effective, mobilization sometimes evades or obscures established social relationships, even as it produces new forms of sociability. Bridging literatures on mass and clandestine mobilization, this research reconsiders the assumed sequential logic of movement development from organization to protest, rather than vice versa. It also shifts attention from movement antecedents toward the resourcefulness and strategy that enable mobilizing both from scratch and at grave risk.

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Crossref · 10.1177/0010414020912281

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69 of 69 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • In Syria during the Arab Spring, collective action could not be planned in advance because the Assad regime would have preemptively repressed it; randomness was preferred.

    “Collective action could not be planned in advance because the Assad regime would have preemptively repressed it: instead, randomness was preferred because”

    From Coordinated Dis-Coordination (2024) · cites this paper as Pearlman 2021

  • Instances of collective action under repressive regimes may not be due to coordination at all, but instead spontaneity.

    “Other research suggests that instances of collective action under repressive regimes may not be due to coordination at all, but instead, spontaneity.”

    From Coordinated Dis-Coordination (2024) · cites this paper as Pearlman 2021

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Authors
Pearlman, W.
Affiliations
Northwestern University (US)
Corresponding author
Pearlman, Wendy
ORCID
Pearlman, Wendy
Venue
Comparative Political Studies
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2020-03-23
Volume
54
Issue
10
Pages
1786-1817
ISSN
  • 0010-4140 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-3829
DOI
10.1177/0010414020912281
OpenAlex
W3013393724
Cited by
50
References
69
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 4
FWCI
10.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
Comparative Political Studies (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Conflict and Governance
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Middle East Politics and Society
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social Movements and Cultural Identity
Keywords
Syrian uprising, collective action, social movements, repression, civil society, mass mobilization, movement development, protest tactics, sociability, authoritarian regimes

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