Autocracy and Contentious Politics

Authoritarian regimes wield a variety of tools to suppress dissent and maintain compliance. Yet resistance, including institutional challenges, peaceful protest, and violent rebellion, occurs periodically within most autocratic regimes. This course examines the differences between democracies and authoritarian regimes, looking at the tools autocrats use to stay in power, and the ways that different types of authoritarian regimes function. Drawing on cases from the 2011 Arab Uprisings, participants consider how and why societal actors engage in contentious acts of protest to challenge authoritarian rule.