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Justifications of repression in autocracies: an empirical analysis of Morocco and Tunisia, 2000-2010
[journal article]
Abstract
How do autocrats communicate about repression? Previous studies have analysed how autocratic officials justify the repression of large-scale protests to avoid backlash effects. However, we know much less about how everyday repression against dissidents and ordinary citizens is communicated and justi... view more
How do autocrats communicate about repression? Previous studies have analysed how autocratic officials justify the repression of large-scale protests to avoid backlash effects. However, we know much less about how everyday repression against dissidents and ordinary citizens is communicated and justified under authoritarianism. This paper is the first to systematically investigate how officials in autocracies justify, conceal, or deny repression employed by different state actors. It studies the communication of repression in two North African autocracies by analysing the novel Justifications of Repressive Incidents in Morocco and Tunisia Dataset (JuRI). The event dataset contains 439 instances of repression between 2000 and 2010 and disaggregates various dimensions of repression and its communication. The empirical analysis shows how the chosen forms of repression influence ensuing patterns of communication and justification. Studying the communication of repression helps us better understand the nexus of legitimation, judicial repression and political violence in autocracies.... view less
Keywords
North Africa; Morocco; Tunisia; authoritarian system; repression; legitimation; political communication; political leadership
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Document language
English
Publication Year
2024
Page/Pages
p. 108-136
Journal
Contemporary politics, 30 (2024) 1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/13569775.2023.2265287
ISSN
1469-3631
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed