Killing Contention

Sammy Zeyad Badran is assistant professor of international studies at American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

Badran makes a unique, novel contribution in deftly showing how his research on Morocco's February 20th Movement advances the well-established literature on social movement theory.-- "Matt Buehler, The Journal of North African Studies" A valuable contribution to our knowledge of the less understood protests in Morocco and adds nuance to the role that repression, reform, and intra-movement dynamics play in the mobilization-demobilization cycle of a social movement.-- "Michael Wuthrich, author of National Elections in Turkey: People, Politics, and the Party System" An excellent contribution to the literature. Badran is to be commended for a well-written, deeply researched, and persuasive treatment. It's readable and compelling.-- "Gregory White, Mary Huggins Gamble Professor of Government, Smith College" This is the rare dive into Moroccan politics that not only takes 'the street' seriously, but also divulges a bigger theoretical lesson in how protest movements live and die. Through rich qualitative evidence, Badran shows how Morocco's monarchy and ideological divides sabotaged the February 20 youth network during the Arab Uprisings.-- "Sean Yom, author of From Resilience to Revolution: How Foreign Interventions Destabilize the Middle East" Killing Contention offers a very interesting reflection on the interactions between social movements and elections in authoritarian regimes.-- "The Middle East Journal" Badran's Killing Contention tracks the February 20th Movement's fate through the tools of political science. Theory and contemporary frameworks are underpinned by a remarkable body of in-person interviews of those who made their own history, now no longer disappearing into silence.-- "James Miller, Professor Emeritus, Clemson University"