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WOMEN, SOCIAL PROTESTS, AND THE NEW MEDIA ACTIVISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND
NORTH AFRICA
Author(s): Elham Gheytanchi and Valentine N. Moghadam
Source: International Review of Modern Sociology, Vol. 40, No. 1 (Spring 2014), pp. 1-26
Published by: International Journals
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43496487
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International Review of Modern Sociology
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International Review of Modern Sociology Volume 40, Number 1, Spring 2014
Elham Gheytanchi
Santa Monica College
and
Valentine N. Moghadam
Northeastern University
This paper explores the diffusion of the use of new media technologies by women
through the internal and external communicative practices of social movements
and the effects upon women's roles as collective agents of social change. We examine
women's media activism and their roles in the region's social upheavals , with a
focus on four cases: Iran's Green Protests and its feminist movement ; the 2011
political revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt , and women's campaigns since then;
and the gradualist movement in Morocco for women's rights and
democratization. We show that women's cyber activism, their citizen journalism ,
and their self-organization both contribute to and reflect the social and political
changes that have occurred in the region.
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2 International Review of Modern Sociology
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4 International Review of Modern Sociology
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8 International Review of Modern Sociology
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14 International Review of Modern Sociology
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Table 1
Internet and Facebook Usage, Egypt, Iran, Morocco, Tunisia, circa 2010
Country Total population Capital City Internet Usage Facebook Usage
Population (as % of total (% penetration
population) rate)
Iran 77,891,220 8,429,807 46.9% Not Available
Egypt 82,079,636 7,947,121 26.4% 11.4%
Morocco 31,968,361 1,754,425 49.0% 12.7%
Tunisia
Source: info f
mdg_gap20
www.internet
Discussion:
Two views
pessimistic
of ICTs, co
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Conclusions
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Notes
1. We should point out that the population that has direct access to the Internet
is a minority in some countries in MENA, but as Howard and Hussein (2012:
122) point out in the case of Egypt and Tunisia, "this minority is a strategic
one, typically comprising an elite made up of educated professionals, young
entrepreneurs, urban dwellers, and government workers/' Elsewhere in
MENA, a large proportion - 35% - 45% - are using the Internet and social
networking sites, and many subscribers share Internet access with families
and friends.
2. There are numerous websites, social networking sites, blogs, and tweets on
the topic of women's voices in the new Middle East. One example is this popular
Facebook page entitled "The Uprising of Women in the Arab World": http://
www.facebook.com/intifadat.almar2a
3. New ICTs, of course, do not replace the old mass media such as TV and radio.
A survey of media habits and trust among the general Iranian public was
conducted by the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors in collaboration with
Gallup, and the Iran Media Program at the University of Pennsylvania's
Annenberg School of Communications. When asked to select their three most
important news sources from a list provided, TV was the first choice for 96%
of the sample, followed by the press (45%), and friend and family (38%). See
http://iranmediaresearch.org/en/research/pdffile/990
5. See the following new site in Persian that aims to allow women to exchange
their experiences regarding activism in Iran and the Arab world: http://
www.bridgesforwomen.org/ 'ē, for a report of March 8th in 2012 (International
Women's Day) celebration in Tehran by women's rights activists see this link:
http://www.ir-women.org/spip.php7article9989
6. LarbiSadiki, "The Arab Spring: Voting Islamism", Al Jazeera, (7 Dec. 2011):
http://www.aljazeera.eom/indepth/opinion/2011/12/2011126105646767454.html.
7. See, for example, http:llnews.bbc.co.uk/2lhilmiddle_eastp514567.stm. See also http:/
lwww.ecwronline.org/englishlindex.html
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22 International Review of Modern Sociology
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