BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH PRODID:-//Telerik Inc.//Sitefinity CMS 15.1//EN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Eastern Standard Time BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20251102T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=1SU;BYHOUR=2;BYMINUTE=0;BYMONTH=11 TZNAME:Eastern Standard Time TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20250301T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=2SU;BYHOUR=2;BYMINUTE=0;BYMONTH=3 TZNAME:Eastern Daylight Time TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:The Moynihan Institute's Study of Global Politics series presen ts \;Meredith Weiss from the University at Albany\, SUNY.Abstract: As democracy falters\, protest movements across the globe face not only mount ing repression but also pervasive volatility in political \;opportunit ies and risk. We explore how activists recalibrate their strategies under such conditions. Drawing on cases from across Asia\, we argue that what di stinguishes contention under democratic decline is not repression alone\, but the uncertainty \;that shifting and opaque rules of engagement gen erate\, regarding both the pace and scope of change. In such contexts\, ac tivists cannot rely on prior experience or institutional memory\, whether of pre-transition authoritarianism or of liberal democracy\, to guide tact ical decisions. Instead\, they adopt what we call hedging strategies—secto ral\, scalar\, and spatial—that help mitigate risk\, preserve social capit al\, and sustain mobilization\, even if inadequate to forestall or reverse illiberalization. These strategies reflect a longer-term logic of surviva l\, improvisation\, and adaptability. We conclude by outlining a research agenda for studying protest under such transitioning regimes\, emphasizing the need for frameworks that account for risk perception\, regime fluidit y\, and the strategic ambiguity that defines life on democracy’s precipice .Article co-authors: Alexandre Pelletier (Université Laval\, Canada)Meredi th Weiss is professor of political science and founding director of the&nb sp\;SUNY/CUNY Southeast Asia Consortium. She has published widely on socia l mobilization and civil society\, the politics of identity and developmen t\, electoral politics and parties\, institutional reform\, and subnationa l governance in Southeast Asia\, with particular focus on Malaysia and Sin gapore. Her latest books are The Roots of Resilience: Party Machines and G rassroots Politics in Southeast Asia \;(Cornell\, 2020) and the co-aut hored \;Mobilizing for Elections: Patronage and Political Machines in Southeast Asia \;(Cambridge\, 2022). DTEND:20260130T183000Z DTSTAMP:20260514T211803Z DTSTART:20260130T170000Z LOCATION: SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Meredith Weiss | Activist Adaptations: Sustaining Protest as Libera lism Wanes UID:RFCALITEM639143758838040277 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

The Moynihan Institute's Study of Global Po litics series presents \;Meredith Weiss from the University at Albany\ , SUNY.

Abstract: As democracy falters\, protest movements across th e globe face not only mounting repression but also pervasive volatility in political \;opportunities and risk. We explore how activists recalibr ate their strategies under such conditions. Drawing on cases from across A sia\, we argue that what distinguishes contention under democratic decline is not repression alone\, but the uncertainty \;that shiftin g and opaque rules of engagement generate\, regarding both the pace and sc ope of change. In such contexts\, activists cannot rely on prior experienc e or institutional memory\, whether of pre-transition authoritarianism or of liberal democracy\, to guide tactical decisions. Instead\, they adopt w hat we call hedging strategies—sectoral\, scalar\, and spatial—that help m itigate risk\, preserve social capital\, and sustain mobilization\, even i f inadequate to forestall or reverse illiberalization. These strategies re flect a longer-term logic of survival\, improvisation\, and adaptability. We conclude by outlining a research agenda for studying protest under such transitioning regimes\, emphasizing the need for frameworks that account for risk perception\, regime fluidity\, and the strategic ambiguity that d efines life on democracy’s precipice.

Article co-authors: Alexandre Pelletier (Université Laval\, Canada)

Meredith Weiss is professor of political science and founding director of the \;SUNY/CUNY Southeast Asia Consortium. She has published widely on social mobilization and civil society\, the politics of identity and development\, electoral politics a nd parties\, institutional reform\, and subnational governance in Southeas t Asia\, with particular focus on Malaysia and Singapore. Her latest books are The Roots of Resilience: Party Machines and Grassroots Politics i n Southeast Asia \;(Cornell\, 2020) and the co-authored \;Mobilizing for Elections: Patronage and Political Machines in Southeast A sia \;(Cambridge\, 2022).

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