Claiming a “Right” to State Space: Building Social Movements Under Authoritarian Rule

There is widespread agreement in social movement research that successful mobilization requires gathering large numbers in public spaces. But what happens when repressive states close public spaces off to protests and activists lack the capacity to win them from state control? This article utilizes a case study of state workers’ movements in Jordan in the run-up to the 2011 uprisings to demonstrate how activists can mobilize under repressive conditions by seeking out less conventional spaces. Specifically, workers may be able to access state spaces associated with public employment (e.g., state ministries and public schools). I argue that these spaces can serve as sheltering spaces for protestors to engage in early movement-building activities and as performative spaces to generate political support needed to expand into more exposed spaces. Overall, this research contributes to understanding contentious politics in politically repressive settings by identifying a middle ground between covert resistance and mass public demonstrations.