Donnerstag, 24. Mai 2018, 17:00 - 19:00 iCal

IPW Lecture mit Sofie Bedford

Resistance Without Revolution. How to Understand ‘Opposition’ in Authoritarian States. Lessons from Azerbaijan and Belarus

Konferenzraum IPW (A 0222) NIG 2. Stock
Universitätsstraße 7 , 1010 Wien

Lecture


Abstract:

In recent literature on post-Soviet electoral revolutions in places where attempts at regime change through popular protest did not succeed, opposition groups are often simply regarded as ‘failed’. The idea behind the project that will be in focus for this lecture was to go beyond the ‘successful’ vs. ‘failed’ narrative. Our in-depth study of the strategies and activities of oppositional actors in autocratic Belarus and Azerbaijan found opposition actors are maintained in a ‘ghetto’, often virtual, tightly managed by the ruling authorities. The opposition develops various tactics to engage with the outside, striving to reduce the ghetto walls. To this end our project proposes a typology of what we call oppositional ‘resistance models’: electoral, medial, lobbying and through education. The models highlight what makes ‘opposition’ in authoritarian states and are an important step towards a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon.

 

Zur Webseite der Veranstaltung


Veranstalter

Institut für Politikwissenschaft


Kontakt

Tina Olteanu
Institut für Politikwissenschaft
T: + 43-1-4277-49441
tina.olteanu@univie.ac.at