The Unprecedented Protest of 25 January: Political Realignments, Opposition Forces and Labor

• In Event: 261 - Section on Political Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 10. Recruitment and Mobilization

Abstract

The Egyptian uprising of 25 January 2011 raises a puzzle for social movement theory. In contrast to dominant assumption in social movement theory, there were no splits among Egyptian elites on the eve of the uprising, and the groups that called for protest did not have the organizational capacities to mobilize large numbers of people. I conducted 120 in depth interviews with political and labor activists, and scrutinized newspapers and labor reports to explain who organized and participated in the unprecedented large protest that triggered the revolutionary process in Egypt. The findings call for a redefined political opportunity model that stresses the impact of changes in elite politics on opposition forces, and the mobilization of specific labor sectors.
Four main immediate factors turned the first day of the uprising into a large protest. Youth groups and opposition parties played an indispensable role in calling for and organizing the protest, but the participation of previously mobilized white collar and government workers tilted popular power against the regime. Finally, the relatively restrained police response encouraged bystanders to join. Two background conditions were also pertinent: the ruling party's political realignments and disintegration of its social base that led to contentious elections in 2005 and 2010 as well as the acceleration of neoliberal polices. Both activated opposition forces and led to increasing labour unrest, facilitating mass participation on the first day of the uprising.

Author

• Nada Matta, New York Univeristy