Mobilization for Rebellion and Relief: A Comparative Study of Immigrant Transnational Activism during the Arab Spring

• In Event: 029 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements. Comparative and Cross National Social Movement Research

Abstract

This article advances the study of immigrant transnational mobilization by comparing Libyan, Syrian, and Yemeni activism across the US and Britain on behalf of the Arab Spring. Though immigrants in the West are assumed to be well-positioned to fuel insurgencies and humanitarian causes from abroad, the literature neglects to investigate why only some of their movements become auxiliaries for rebellion and relief in their countries-of-origin. Using 240 in-depth interviews representing 62 movements, the analysis demonstrates that activists’ roles vary according to four factors: their network ties to conflict zones; incorporation into third-party interventions; access to liberated territory; and movement professionalization. The findings contribute to theories of how networks, political opportunities, and organizational adaptations shape transnational movement dynamics and illustrate the importance of using comparative, cross-national perspectives.

Author

• Dana M. Moss, University of Pittsburgh