Dimensions of Legal Censorship in Digital Activism: A Thematic Analysis
Keywords:
student activism, legal repression, qualitative research, digital resistance, Iran, emotional resilience, civil society, authoritarianism, tactical adaptationAbstract
This study aims to explore the strategies employed by student activists in Tehran to navigate and resist legal repression while maintaining their political engagement and collective organizing efforts. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 24 student activists based in Tehran. Participants were selected through purposive sampling to ensure they had firsthand experience with legal repression. Interviews continued until theoretical saturation was reached. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically using NVivo software. Thematic coding followed Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework, identifying patterns of resistance and adaptation in response to legal constraints. Analysis revealed four major themes reflecting the strategic responses of student activists: (1) adaptive communication practices, including encrypted messaging, offline coordination, and misleading digital content; (2) legal literacy and defensive tactics, such as peer legal education, strategic ambiguity, and engagement with NGOs; (3) psychological and emotional resilience, including peer support, identity affirmation, and emotional regulation strategies; and (4) organizational and strategic flexibility, demonstrated through decentralized leadership, tactical mobility, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. These strategies reflected a sophisticated, context-specific approach to navigating surveillance, arrest risk, and institutional backlash. The study highlights the dynamic and resilient nature of student activism under conditions of legal repression. Rather than retreating, activists develop multifaceted tactics that integrate legal knowledge, emotional sustainability, and structural adaptability. These findings challenge assumptions about repression as a solely deterrent force and suggest that legal constraints often catalyze innovation in activist practice. The study contributes to the broader literature on contentious politics by illuminating micro-level mechanisms of resistance and the enduring agency of student activists in repressive contexts.
Downloads
References
Adayemi, B. (2020). State Surveillance and Digital Activism in Iran: Threats to Civil Liberties. Middle East Policy, 27(4), 45–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/mepo.12507
Article 19. (2022). Iran: Tightening the Net 2022 – State Control Over Online Expression. https://www.article19.org/resources/iran-tightening-the-net-2022/
Bourdieu, P. (1998). Practical Reason: On the Theory of Action. Stanford University Press.
Cohen, J. E. (2012). Configuring the Networked Self: Law, Code, and the Play of Everyday Practice. Yale University Press.
Dehghan, S. K. (2021). Internet Freedom in Iran: The Legal Tools of Repression. Journal of Cyber Policy, 6(2), 150–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/23738871.2021.1935129
Freedom House. (2023). Freedom on the Net 2023: Iran Country Report. https://freedomhouse.org
Gillespie, T. (2018). Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation, and the Hidden Decisions That Shape Social Media. Yale University Press.
Kalathil, S., & Boas, T. C. (2010). Open Networks, Closed Regimes: The Impact of the Internet on Authoritarian Rule. Carnegie Endowment.
MacKinnon, R. (2012). Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom. Basic Books.
Marshall, A. M., & Barclay, S. (2003). In Their Own Words: How Ordinary People Construct the Legal World. Law & Social Inquiry, 28(3), 617–628. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-4469.2003.tb00212.x
Morozov, E. (2011). The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom. PublicAffairs.
PEN America. (2021). Arresting Dissent: Legislative Threats to Online Expression. https://pen.org/arresting-dissent-report/
Rahimi, B. (2015). Cyberpolitics in Iran: Internet as a Space of Contention. Iranian Studies, 48(5), 691–712. https://doi.org/10.1080/00210862.2015.1013781
Roberts, M. E. (2020). Censored: Distraction and Diversion Inside China's Great Firewall. Princeton University Press.
Silbey, S. (2005). After Legal Consciousness. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 1, 323–368. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.lawsocsci.1.041604.115938
Tufekci, Z. (2017). Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest. Yale University Press.
UN Human Rights Council. (2022). Report on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. https://www.ohchr.org
Zuboff, S. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. PublicAffairs.
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
