On 20 September 2022, Ebba Tellander will defend her PhD thesis investigating the use of political space to protest in countries with violent or repressive regimes. Her starting point is northern Somalia in 1982 when school students and local residents protested against the arrest of professionals who had come together to restore a hospital and volunteer in schools. She addresses the research puzzles of why and how early risers, who face the biggest risks, initiate collective action and resistance at, as well as the related puzzle of why state repression at times encourages increased resistance, rather than discouraging it. The thesis is very much situated within social movement scholarship, focusing on agency-based approaches, including moral, emotional, and cultural dynamics. In particular, Tellander it investigates insights from scholars of social movements in the Global South and in repressive settings across the globe.

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