The Arab Uprisings and the Return of Repression

Ten years after the Arab uprisings, higher levels of repression can be observed across the region, which reflect a diversity of repressive trends. The regional dynamics corroborate previous findings of research on the repression-dissent nexus, but also shed new light on theoretical and conceptual assumptions. We call for a comprehensive, disaggregated conceptualization of repression, arguing that such a research focus helps understand many political developments in Arab autocracies since 2011. Advocating research on repressive variation, we review recent literature that tackles repression in Arab autocracies and pushes the boundaries of previous scholarship. We distil various dimensions of repression that have emerged as important since the Arab uprisings and that are relevant in more general terms. We consider established categories of repression, such as its levels, forms, agents, and targets. Going beyond these common disaggregation measures, we propose a perspective incorporating justifications, multiple levels of analysis such as transnational and subnational repression, and new digital tools that authoritarian incumbents use to control and coerce their citizens. We also reflect on questions of fieldwork and research ethics with respect to studying repression and how it itself affects the possibility of doing research. We finally discuss possible sources and methods for studying the proposed dimensions of repression, which helps illuminate current political developments and future dynamics across the region and beyond.