Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 2009
Department
Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs
Abstract
Scholars have been extending social-movement analysis beyond its base in the industrialized West to Latin America and Asia, but rarely to Africa. Social movements resisting repression in nondemocratic settings have usually had the help of external "opportunities" or favorable circumstances. This study, however, examines a peaceful social movement in Liberia, a movement that resisted repression under two regimes, advocating for human rights and democratic freedom without such "opportunities." How did this happen? The study finds four explanations: the formation of a microsocial movement with no formal leadership and only loosely connected strands of resistance, which were harder to control; a high level of commitment by participants; the skillful use of local media and international organizations to put pressure on the regime; and historical roots of resistance, especially in the 1970s.
Publication Title
Africa Today
Volume
55
Issue
3
First Page
3
Last Page
22
Recommended Citation
Press, R.
(2009). Candles in the Wind: Resisting Repression in Liberia (1979-2003). Africa Today, 55(3), 3-22.
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/15460