Social causation and protest mobilization: why temporality and interaction matter

Social causation and protest mobilization: why temporality and interaction matter. Territory, Politics, Governance. In this study, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is proposed as an alternate approach that can bring us closer to understanding the repression–mobilization puzzle. By analysing a variety of historical cases with fsQCA, I comparatively assess which conditions are most salient in being able to account for increased protest mobilization after severe state repression. In turn, this study sheds new light on the underlying dynamics of the repression–dissent nexus by evaluating previously identified variables and theoretical mechanisms in a new manner. It specifically accounts for protest event characteristics that are indicative of both space and time. Comparative analysis reveals that no condition can be considered to be necessary or sufficient for there to be increased mobilization after severe repression. After conducting configurational tests and sensitivity checks, two causal configurations do reveal that a combination of factors interacts to bring about the outcome. These include protest threat level, nonviolent protest strategy, campaign diversity, and geographic terrain. The results verify, and at the same time, improve on existing work in this field.