Abstract

Periods of activity in exile following the retreat of protest movements have been a common feature of opposition activism in the Middle East. However, the reconstitution of Egyptian opposition movements following the revolutionary crisis of 2011-2013 is taking place within a media environment in which ‘old’ and ‘new’ media act in synergy and social media platforms are changing the relationship between ‘home’ and ‘exile’. By analysing the connections between media and organisation among Egyptian activists in the UK, the project will explore a hitherto unmapped dimension of efforts by opposition organisations to survive and regroup outside Egypt in the wake of the military overthrow of Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. We will focus on two key research questions:

• How has the integration of social media into the media environment of Egyptian activists in the UK affected their transnational organising, campaigning and political strategies?

• What role does media use by Egyptian activists in the UK play in processes of political and intellectual regroupment of opposition movements in Egypt?

Short Bio: Anne Alexander is Co-ordinator of the Cambridge Digital Humanities Network, and a member of the Cambridge Big Data Steering Group. Her research focuses on media production and use by social movement activists in the Middle East, with a particular interest in Egypt.