Widespread Protests Research Articles

Unravelling the Financial Crisis of Sri Lanka: Exploring Policy Blunders

This study explored the political-economic turmoil in Sri Lanka, with a focus on policy implementation. It delved into the dynamics of autocratic governance and elite control within the country's extractive systems, which had evolved over decades. Employing a case study methodology using data from authenticated published sources, this research unveils how ill-conceived policies, orchestrated by China-backed politicians and naïve administrators, primarily triggered the economic crisis. Mismanagement, policy missteps, and corruption fueled widespread social unrest and protests, culminating in the economic downturn. These policy blunders include tax reductions, bans on fertilizer and agrochemical imports, excessive currency printing, and exchange rate manipulation.

Israel: Political Developments and Data in 2023

AbstractIn 2023, Israel experienced a year marked by profound civic and security turmoil. The government's proposed judicial reform triggered widespread protests, highlighting deep divisions within the nation. Concurrently, escalating security threats emerged, with Hamas launching an unprecedented attack from the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah targeting Israel's northern border. These events led to the formation of an emergency government and a special war Cabinet. Despite the challenging circumstances, Israel's economic performance remained relatively stable until the onset of conflict, which led to negative economic impacts. The year saw significant amendments to the Israeli Basic Laws, aimed at reducing judicial oversight over government actions, which further intensified civic unrest. This article provides an overview of the political, security, and economic developments of 2023.

The effect of urban resilience on social stability under external disaster strikes--Evidence from China during COVID-19 pandemic

The robustness of civil society plays a pivotal role in shaping the aftermath of disasters. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the question arises: why did some cities witness widespread resident protests, while others remained relatively calm? Certain theoretical studies have suggested that urban economic disruptions stemming from external disasters can significantly undermine social stability, yet these studies lack empirical validation of the underlying mechanisms. This research endeavors to explore the factors within urban resilience that influence social stability during major public events, a topic that has received scant attention in existing empirical studies.Utilizing data from the Chinese General Social Survey (2021), this study introduces an empirical causal analysis framework integrating the "entropy value method" and "fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)" to investigate the following: (1) The univariate test reveals that the consistency level of all conditions is below 0.9, indicating that no single-dimensional factor alone can enhance social stability. (2) The absence of urban economic resilience emerges as a critical conditional variable contributing to non-high levels of social stability, thereby serving as the primary driver of social instability. (3) Group analysis identifies three distinct pathways through which urban resilience impacts social stability: the "economic-ecological-resource" support path, the "economic-ecological-risk" mitigation path, and the "economic-ecological-challenge" resolution path.

Kazakhstan’s Anti-China Protests: Implications for the Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia

This article examines China’s increasing investments in Kazakhstan amid its declining soft power and growing public dissent. Focusing on Kazakhstan's strategic position within the Belt and Road Initiative, it analyzes how Chinese economic influence persists despite widespread protests and negative public opinion. Using a qualitative approach, the study synthesizes academic literature, policy analyses, news reports, and firsthand accounts to understand local views on Chinese influence. Findings show that while China’s economic power supports continued investment, the lack of soft power presents long-term risks. Without efforts to improve its image and build trust, China’s reliance on hard power may fuel anti-China sentiments, potentially leading to organized resistance and policy changes in Kazakhstan. The study emphasizes that China must incorporate soft power elements into its foreign policy to sustain influence in Kazakhstan and across Central Asia.

Citizenship in India: Parsing the Complexity of Digital Identity Systems

The biometric identity project in India called Aadhaar was established with the purported intent of giving every resident of India a unique ID to ensure that social security measures and other welfare mechanisms would reach the last mile. The collection of biometrics (fingerprints, eye scans and photographs), it was emphasised, was to ensure that no duplicates were created and each ID would be unique, and thus was built the world’s largest data management project. However, since then, there have been several problems of duplication, implementation issues, failure of infrastructure, security breaches and privacy issues. Buttressing the digital identity project have been several moves to push digitalisation in other spheres as well. The article intends to study this digitalisation of individual identity in India and posit that there are several pockets of resistance that challenge this framing of the digitalised citizen as a data subject and the reduction of individual identity into biometrics alone. There are two people’s movements that show how this digital turn towards a technological understanding of citizenship is being challenged: the widespread peaceful protests of 2019–2020 against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and the 2015–2016 Save the Internet campaign for net neutrality. This author hopes to show that both online and offline, the ideas of what it means to be a citizen of India remain in flux, challenging the notion of a passive data subject and positing a political, rights-bearing citizen in opposition to it.

Legal Barriers in Sustainable Agriculture: Valorization of Agri-Food Waste and Pesticide Use Reduction

The transition to sustainability in agriculture faces significant challenges, especially to balance environmental goals with the practical demands of food production. This paper examines two different case studies that reveal the complexities of agricultural regulation. The first case focuses on the valorization of agri-food residual biomasses, highlighting the potential to transform food waste into valuable bioproducts such as bioenergy and biofertilizers. Despite the clear environmental and economic benefits, the absence of specific European regulations hinders the widespread adoption of these practices. Without clear rules for achieving “end-of-waste” status, the development and marketing of bio-based products remain restricted. The second case study examines the European Union’s unsuccessful effort to implement the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation (SUR), which aimed to reduce pesticide use by 50% by 2030. Although the regulation sought to align agricultural practices with the EU’s Green Deal, it triggered widespread protests from farmers concerned about the potential economic losses and decreased productivity. These two cases, one showing under-regulation and the other over-regulation, highlight the need for balanced and practical regulatory frameworks that promote sustainability without imposing unrealistic demands on stakeholders. This paper ends with recommendations to harmonize regulations across Europe, ensuring that both innovation in agricultural waste management and practical pesticide reduction strategies are implemented in a way that supports farmers and producers, minimizing economic disruptions and encouraging sustainable agricultural practices.

Engagement in Pro-Choice Protests: The Role of Gender, Feminism, Gender Collective Self-Esteem, and Reactance Against Abortion Bans

Recently imposed reproductive rights restrictions have triggered widespread pro-choice protests in countries like Poland and the U.S. This study, conducted online in Poland following the 22 October 2020 decision of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal to strengthen restrictions on legal access to abortion, investigated the motivations of 939 Poles (55% women) to participate in pro-choice protests. We examined how different aspects of gender collective self-esteem and feminist identification were associated with reactance to the freedom restrictions imposed by the abortion ban and with engagement in pro-choice protests among women and men. We found that for both genders, weaker gender identification was associated with higher feminist identification, greater reactance to the abortion ban, and increased involvement in pro-choice protests. However, we observed gender differences in the motivations to participate. Women who perceived themselves as valued members of their gender group, had negative personal views about their gender or felt their gender was undervalued by society, were more likely to engage in pro-choice activism. Men who held negative personal views about their gender or felt their gender was valued by society were more likely to engage in pro-choice protests. This study adds novel predictors to the literature on engagement in pro-choice collective action, offering practical insights into which aspects of gender collective self-esteem should be targeted to enhance feminist identification and support for the pro-choice movement.

Mobilized Resilience and Development under Sanctions in Iran

ABSTRACTHow do states maintain economic development in the face of sanctions? Recent studies have examined economic resilience as a property of a system preceding a shock, leaving unanswered questions about how sanctioned states discipline employers and limit predatory behaviour. Using the case of Iran, this article aims to fill this gap by presenting a model of Mobilized resilience, describing how bottom‐up and top‐down mobilizations can create demand for institutional capacity. Integrating unique qualitative and quantitative material, the author argues that Iran's political elites responded to sanctions by launching top‐down campaigns that appealed to workers, promoted capital–labour unity, and demanded state commitment to development. These campaigns facilitated widespread labour protests that further empowered the state to block capital flight and steer firms onto more profitable, growth‐oriented routes. Labour ‘resistance’ thus unexpectedly helped to realize the Supreme Leader's calls for a ‘resistance economy’. These findings suggest that political support for worker mobilization in the context of sanctions can result in economic benefits, with significant consequences for our understanding of economic statecraft, development and labour movements.

Participant accounts of police violence during black lives matter protests in Chicago

ABSTRACT Black protest events in the United States have been characterised by police use of violence against protestors during periods, such as the widespread riots of the 1960s, when many white people and police see black people as posing a special danger to the status quo. It appears that the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd, which triggered widespread Black Lives Matter protests, is another such time. However, social scientific evidence that addresses the question of whether police responded with unnecessary violence to these black-led protests remains in short supply. In this study, we conducted a content analysis of protest participants’ federal court statements about their lived experience with police violence during Chicago, IL, protests. Their accounts suggest that police, rather than protestors, initiated violence and relied on it to control protestors in ways that violated Chicago Police Department policies and constitutional protections afforded citizens. Despite efforts to reform police management of protests over the last half century, our findings suggest that the historical pattern of police use of militaristic tactics and gratuitous violence to control black protest events persists today. We consider the implications of the findings for relations between the police and black communities.

Black emergency department visits for schizophrenia/psychosis following the police killing of George Floyd: An empirical test of “protest psychosis”

In the United States, there exists a large disparity in the diagnosis of schizophrenia between Black and White individuals. Some of the symptoms associated with schizophrenia, such as agitation, delusions, and non-compliance, were previously linked to a now-discontinued condition known as “Protest Psychosis.” This proposed subtype of schizophrenia diagnosis emerged during the 1950s and 1960s in response to racial tensions during the Civil Rights movement and preceded an increase in schizophrenia diagnosis among Black populations, potentially leading to racial disparities in this psychiatric condition that continue to permeate the modern context.In May 2020, the police killing of George Floyd sparked widespread protests through the Black Lives Matter Movement. Given the historical precedence of “protest psychosis” in response to the Civil Rights Movement, we examined disparities in Emergency Department (ED) visits diagnosed as schizophrenia/psychosis immediately following the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020. We used monthly data on ED visits from January 2016 to December 2020 across 5 University of California health systems. We used ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) time-series analysis to derive the residual values of ED visits diagnosed as schizophrenia/psychosis among Black persons and examined whether these residuals increased selectively among Black persons in June 2020. Results from time-series analyses indicate 34 additional ED visits above expected levels diagnosed as schizophrenia/psychosis among Black persons in June 2020 (p < 0.05), amounting to a 25% increase in these visits among Black persons. These results indicate a perpetuation of historical trends and cohere with expectations from the legacy of “Protest Psychosis”.

The statistical and dynamic modeling of the first part of the 2013-2014 Euromaidan protests in Ukraine: The Revolution of Dignity and preceding times.

Ukraine's tug-of-war between Russia and the West has had significant and lasting consequences for the country. In 2013, Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian president aligned with Russia, opted against signing an association agreement with the European Union. This agreement aimed to facilitate trade and travel between the EU and Ukraine. This decision sparked widespread protests that coalesced in Kyiv's Maidan Square, eventually becoming known as the Euromaidan protests. In this study, we analyze the protest data from 2013, sourced from Ukraine's Center for Social and Labor Research. Despite the dataset's limitations and occasional inconsistencies, we demonstrate the extraction of valuable insights and the construction of a descriptive model from such data. Our investigation reveals a pre-existing state of self-excitation within the system even before the onset of the Euromaidan protests. This self-excitation intensified during the Euromaidan protests. A statistical analysis indicates that the government's utilization of force correlates with increased future protests, exacerbating rather than quelling the protest movement. Furthermore, we introduce the implementation of Hawkes process models to comprehend the spatiotemporal dynamics of the protest activity. Our findings highlight that, while protest activities spread across the entire country, the driving force behind the dynamics of these protests was the level of activity in Kyiv. Furthermore, in contrast to prior research that emphasized geographical proximity as a key predictor of event propagation, our study illustrates that the political alignment among oblasts, which are the distinct municipalities comprising Ukraine, had a more profound impact than mere geographic distance. This underscores the significance of social and cultural factors in molding the trajectory of political movements.

Assessing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Best Practices for Test Item Writing at a Physician Assistant Program: A Retrospective Analysis

Introduction Outcomes for specific racial and ethnic groups during the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread protests demanding racial justice in 2020 renewed a focus on health equity practices and bias in medical education. Routine inclusion of sociodemographic identifiers such as sex/gender, age, race, and/or ethnicity in test items risks perpetuation of implicit bias and race-based practices in medical education. Methods A retrospective review was conducted of test items in a pathophysiology course series at an academic medical center in the Western United States. Sociodemographic identifiers in multiple choice test items were reviewed to determine clinical relevance. Results Of 795 test items, 475 referred to sociodemographic information (gender, race/ethnicity, age, sexual orientation) and in only 27.5% of questions, this inclusion was clinically relevant (131/475). Discussion Current evidence suggests that routine inclusion of sociodemographic information in test items infrequently supports the clinical diagnosis and perpetuates implicit bias and race-based practices in medical education. Thoughtful inclusion of sociodemographic information in assessment offers an opportunity to address sociostructural determinants of health.

His Holiness Patriarch Sergius, Metropolitan Gregory and the Theological Schools of the Moscow Patriarchy from 1944 to 2024

The article commemorates two significant events marking the 80th anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2024: the passing of His Holiness Patriarch Sergius and the establishment of the first theological schools in Moscow during the Soviet era. The question of establishing theological schools was raised by Patriarch Sergius following the Council of Bishops in 1943 and his subsequent election as patriarch. These schools were inaugurated just a month after his passing. It’s emphasized that the swift preparation for the opening of the Theological Institute and Theological and Pastoral courses was facilitated by the quarter-century journey of the patriarch’s long-time faithful colleague, Archpriest Nikolay Chukov (Archbishop Gregory of Saratov and Stalingrad), who authored the project for spiritual educational institutions of the Moscow Patriarchate. He had substantial experience in establishing and overseeing higher theological institutions in Petrograd-Leningrad from 1920 to 1925. For the first time, a diary detailing the activities of Archpriest Nikolay Chukov is published in the appendix. His endeavors, undertaken with the support of Metropolitan Sergius and the Synod from 1928 to 1930, aimed to establish a Theological Institute in Leningrad. Unfortunately, his plans were thwarted by his arrest in 1930. The entries in the published diary confirm Olga Vasilyeva’s assertion that Metropolitan Sergius’ interview, which sparked widespread protests due to its denial of Church persecution in the USSR, was a quid pro quo for allowing him to submit a memo to Pyotr Smidovich. One of the memo’s points emphasized the necessity of opening a theological school. This memo played a pivotal role in obtaining permission, which, in turn, significantly hastened the process of opening theological schools in Moscow in 1943–1944. The article concludes with excerpts from books and articles by a professor from the Department of Church History at Saint Petersburg Theological Academy. This academic offers a negative and ironic assessment of both the ascetic work of Metropolitan Gregory of Leningrad and Novgorod, and the martyrdom of Patriarch Sergius, who endured humiliation primarily to preserve a legalized church organization, which was essential for the establishment of theological schools within the Patriarchate. This aspect became particularly significant when considering the pivotal choice by the authorities between the patriarchal Church and the Renovationists in 1943.

Contrapuntal Citizenship: Solidarity Protests and Multi-layered Belonging in the Lebanese Diaspora in France

ABSTRACT Normative models of citizenship delimit rights and obligations within the territorial boundaries of the modern state. These models fail to capture how political belonging can be stretched and reconfigured across polities. The 2019 ‘17 October Revolution’ in Lebanon galvanised widespread solidarity protests and initiatives in the Lebanese diaspora in France. As sites of cultural encounter, solidarity protest movements in the diaspora created opportunities for different cultural and political identities to collide, producing ‘contrapuntal’ forms of citizenship. Drawing insights from Edward Said’s examination of the ‘contrapuntal,’ this paper argues that as sites of encounter, diasporic solidarity initiatives pluralised definitions of political belonging producing contrapuntal forms of citizenship. By thinking through music, this paper will examine the overlapping layers, or melodies, of political belonging that constitute diasporic citizens. It will contend that diaspora solidarity initiatives allowed activists to enact multiple, sometimes contradicting, claims to belonging. In doing so, it will shift from hybrid to contrapuntal models of diasporic citizenship.

Latin American Countries Stuck in the Field of Development Theory: A Case Study of Chile

This manuscript conducts a nuanced exploration of the ramifications associated with the adoption of neoliberal development theories in Latin America, with a particular emphasis on the Chilean experience. It delves into the comprehensive implementation of neoliberal reforms under the auspices of the Washington Consensus during the 1970s, charting the trajectory of Chile's economic hardships, its subsequent period of growth, and the enduring challenges of socio-economic inequality and insufficient social welfare systems. Despite Chile's transformation into one of the region's most affluent countries, the analysis exposes the intricate relationship between economic advancements and the overarching well-being of society. The widespread protests in 2019 against entrenched neoliberal policies serve as a poignant critique of the tangible disconnect between macroeconomic success and the populace's quality of life. Through this case study, the paper advocates for a recalibration of development theories to equally value human rights and social progress as indispensable counterparts to economic prosperity, proposing a more integrated framework for sustainable development.

(Re)setting the racial narrative: Antiblackness and educational censorship

Antiblackness is a persistent feature of American society with continued implications for the experiences, outcomes, and well-being of Black communities. In the wake of widespread protests against antiblack police brutality and heightened awareness of racial injustices in 2020, federal, state, and local political actors swiftly began a concerted effort to maintain the illusion of racial progress within the United States. These efforts, which we identify as manifestations of what Carol Anderson (2016) describes as White rage, have taken the form of educational censorship policies that have been successfully enacted in at least 18 states. This study interrogates the policy development process of two such censorship policies in Texas and North Dakota. Drawing on Black critical theory and insights from critical policy analysis, we demonstrate the ways that antiblackness was made legible in the policy development process and conclude with recommendations for combatting the further spread of antiblack educational censorship.

Arab Spring and its Legacies

The book “Arab Spring and its Legacies”, edited by Prof. Mujib Alam and Prof. Sujata Ashwarya is an outcome of discussions held at an online conference titled, ‘Turmoil and Instability in West Asia: Implication for India’s Look West Policy’. The conference was funded by Council of Social Science Research and hosted at Jamia Millia Islamia University in January 2021. The book is an attempt to examine the enduring impacts, the ‘legacies’, the failures, and the realities of the historic democratic upsurge in the West Asian region in the early 2010s. The dissatisfaction with decades of political repression by the authoritarian leaders, economic insecurities and social repression resulted in the widespread protests across the region. The chapters oscillates from assessing the historical past of the West Asian region to the emerging trends on the geopolitical slide. The chapters revolve around the legacies of the uprisings that left enduring imprints on the political, social and the cultural aspects of the West Asian countries.

Informal Civic Activity of Participants of the “Black Protests” and “Women’s Strike”: An Analysis of Scientific Journal Publications

A recent attempt to impose restrictions on the right to carry out abortions due to developmental abnormalities of a foetus and risks to the mother’s health has triggered widespread protests in Poland. These have resulted in the formation of a new social movement, the so-called “Women’s Strike,” which the author of this paper sees as a significant manifestation of informal civic activity. This paper seeks to generate and systematise the meaning of scientific research dealing with these phenomena. The main problem is the following: What categories of a social movement analysis and the meaning imparted to the new social movement called “Women’s Strike” can be identified in scientific papers? The author has chosen to employ a non-reactive research approach, and the sample selection was deliberate. The process of selecting and narrowing down the documents focused on identifying fragments of papers that could offer insights and answers to the research questions. The analysis was performed with the use of a categorisation key developed by the author, which was used to identify the thematic distribution of the scientific papers devoted to the new movement. Results: Five categories were identified together with the assigned meanings: experience and citizenship, emotions expressed by the movement participants, feeling of community and sisterhood, development of the movement participants’ identity, the Women’s Strike future and development prospects. The conclusions contain examples of potential pedagogic studies, in particular, the educational aspects of the new movement’s impact on the young people participating in it, the experience of the identity transformation of the women participating in the strikes, reactivating the ideas and values of sisterhood and the feeling of community in the face of the threat to the freedom of reproduction, a change of the social attitude towards abortion caused by mass protests sparked by the toughening of the law, and media presentation of the new woman’s movement and its demands.

Media Framing of Human Rights Violations: Unpacking Indian Radical Nationalist Policies

Abstract This systematic review examines the media framing of human rights violations, in the backdrop of radical nationalist movements in India. The study focuses on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) governance and its association with a radical nationalist (Hindutva) ideology. The study aims to shed light on the International Media’s criticism of the party’s role in perpetuating anti-minority sentiments and provoking violence against them. Using an integrative review approach, this paper meticulously analyzed 34 selected articles, from research journals and newspapers, published between 2010 and 2022. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring patterns and key themes related to the BJP’s radical nationalist approach and its impact on minorities. Findings from the existing literature and international media’s reporting reveal the BJP’s transformation from a political organization to a stubborn force, promoting radical nationalist principles to consolidate its power base. Furthermore, analysis shows that the enactment of the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) triggered widespread protests whereas amending Articles 370 and 35A stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy, which resulted in human rights violations. In conclusion, the media content analysis highlights the human rights concerns due to the BJP’s radical nationalist approach and underscores an urgent need to make such policies that promote co-existence, inclusivity, and social cohesion to foster a pluralistic society.

Alcohol Consumption in Ancient India and the Contemporary Challenges: A Study of Socio-Economic Implications and Anti-Liquor Protests in Tamil Nadu

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the political developments in India, spanning from ancient times to the present day. The first section of the paper delves into the historical context of alcohol consumption and its profound socio-cultural implications in ancient India. It explores how alcohol was intertwined with the social fabric, varying across different cultural and caste groups. The second part of the paper focuses on the more recent political dynamics in Tamil Nadu, specifically examining the period from 2016 to 2017 when the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) partially rolled back the prohibition on alcohol in response to widespread protests. Over the last five decades, Tamil Nadu has been predominantly under the rule of two Dravidian parties, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and AIADMK. These parties have alternated between enforcing total prohibition and permitting alcohol consumption. The unique political landscape in the state is characterized by the influence of the alcohol industry as a strategic tool for garnering votes. The paper highlights that both parties have vested interests in the alcohol business, making it a complex issue for effective prohibition. For total prohibition to be successfully implemented, a government must establish robust enforcement measures and create essential healthcare and de-addiction infrastructure. The interplay between politics, economics, and social implications in this context is explored in depth in this paper.