The making of first movers: a micro-level study of high-risk dissent initiators in Burma 1988-2011
<p>In the high-risk environment of authoritarian regimes, why do some people dissent while others do not? Specifically, what motivates some people to be the first to dissent when there is no safety in numbers, and no guarantee that others will join? The willingness of some individuals to seemi...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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2020
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| _version_ | 1826308093351297024 |
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| author | Baek, JE |
| author2 | Tudor, M |
| author_facet | Tudor, M Baek, JE |
| author_sort | Baek, JE |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>In the high-risk environment of authoritarian regimes, why do some people dissent while others do not? Specifically, what motivates some people to be the first to dissent when there is no safety in numbers, and no guarantee that others will join? The willingness of some individuals to seemingly disregard the high personal risk of dissent, evincing a readiness to bear costs, puzzles scholars in the social sciences.</p>
<p>This project draws on semi-structured interviews, archival evidence, and secondary sources from the United States, Burma, and the United Kingdom to investigate first movers in Burma and their attempts to initiate dissent that took place between 1988-2011. Based on my data, I developed a narrative-driven grounded theory on what motivates some individuals to become first movers – the initiators – of high-risk dissent against authoritarian regimes at high personal risk.</p>
<p>This project’s overarching theoretical claim is that first movers are made, not born. My cumulative three-part theory is as follows: The individuals in my sample who became first movers of high-risk dissent had been experienced dissenters who (1) acquired informal political education and had undergone socialization among dissenters; (2) were radicalized by state repression into becoming “devoted dissenters”; and ultimately (3) viewed participation in high-risk dissent to be in their self-interest.</p>
<p>First movers are the human catalysts for every political event that has the potential to snowball into a consequential episode of dissent in an authoritarian country. This question is important because the kind of mass protests that upend authoritarian regimes cannot transpire without this subset of high-risk political dissidents who instigate dissent activity. This project will attempt to play a role in better understanding this small group of people whose human agency can lead to lasting changes to undesirable regimes.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:14:21Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:c70942a4-0c2d-4dbe-bb44-edd753b581e7 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:14:21Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:c70942a4-0c2d-4dbe-bb44-edd753b581e72022-07-20T11:20:28ZThe making of first movers: a micro-level study of high-risk dissent initiators in Burma 1988-2011 Thesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:c70942a4-0c2d-4dbe-bb44-edd753b581e7MobilizationProtest movementsEnglishHyrax Deposit2020Baek, JETudor, M<p>In the high-risk environment of authoritarian regimes, why do some people dissent while others do not? Specifically, what motivates some people to be the first to dissent when there is no safety in numbers, and no guarantee that others will join? The willingness of some individuals to seemingly disregard the high personal risk of dissent, evincing a readiness to bear costs, puzzles scholars in the social sciences.</p> <p>This project draws on semi-structured interviews, archival evidence, and secondary sources from the United States, Burma, and the United Kingdom to investigate first movers in Burma and their attempts to initiate dissent that took place between 1988-2011. Based on my data, I developed a narrative-driven grounded theory on what motivates some individuals to become first movers – the initiators – of high-risk dissent against authoritarian regimes at high personal risk.</p> <p>This project’s overarching theoretical claim is that first movers are made, not born. My cumulative three-part theory is as follows: The individuals in my sample who became first movers of high-risk dissent had been experienced dissenters who (1) acquired informal political education and had undergone socialization among dissenters; (2) were radicalized by state repression into becoming “devoted dissenters”; and ultimately (3) viewed participation in high-risk dissent to be in their self-interest.</p> <p>First movers are the human catalysts for every political event that has the potential to snowball into a consequential episode of dissent in an authoritarian country. This question is important because the kind of mass protests that upend authoritarian regimes cannot transpire without this subset of high-risk political dissidents who instigate dissent activity. This project will attempt to play a role in better understanding this small group of people whose human agency can lead to lasting changes to undesirable regimes.</p> |
| spellingShingle | Mobilization Protest movements Baek, JE The making of first movers: a micro-level study of high-risk dissent initiators in Burma 1988-2011 |
| title | The making of first movers: a micro-level study of high-risk dissent initiators in Burma 1988-2011
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| title_full | The making of first movers: a micro-level study of high-risk dissent initiators in Burma 1988-2011
|
| title_fullStr | The making of first movers: a micro-level study of high-risk dissent initiators in Burma 1988-2011
|
| title_full_unstemmed | The making of first movers: a micro-level study of high-risk dissent initiators in Burma 1988-2011
|
| title_short | The making of first movers: a micro-level study of high-risk dissent initiators in Burma 1988-2011
|
| title_sort | making of first movers a micro level study of high risk dissent initiators in burma 1988 2011 |
| topic | Mobilization Protest movements |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT baekje themakingoffirstmoversamicrolevelstudyofhighriskdissentinitiatorsinburma19882011 AT baekje makingoffirstmoversamicrolevelstudyofhighriskdissentinitiatorsinburma19882011 |