📌 The Puzzle Addressed

Authoritarian regimes often block public squares and streets, and activists sometimes lack the capacity to wrest control of those spaces. This study asks: how can collective mobilization begin when conventional public space is effectively closed off?

🗺️ A Close Look at Jordan Before 2011

A case study of state workers’ movements in Jordan in the run-up to the 2011 uprisings traces how activists sought out less conventional venues for organizing. The focus is on spaces tied to public employment—examples include state ministries and public schools—that remained under some degree of worker access even as open urban sites were contested or policed.

🔎 Key Findings

• State-linked workplaces and institutions can serve as sheltering spaces where early movement-building activities take place: private organizing, recruitment, and coordination sheltered from more exposed public scrutiny.
• The same sites can act as performative spaces that visibly demonstrate grievances and garner political support, creating a stepping-stone for later action in more exposed public arenas.
• This use of state space represents a middle ground between covert resistance and mass public demonstrations, enabling incremental growth of mobilization under repressive conditions.

📈 Why This Matters

Identifies a strategic pathway for contentious politics under repression: when direct access to conventional public space is blocked, activists can leverage their positions within state-affiliated institutions to both protect early organizing and stage public-facing actions that expand political opportunities. The findings refine understanding of how movements form and escalate in authoritarian settings and suggest new ways to conceptualize space in theories of protest and repression.