Strategies for Navigating Legal Repression in Student Activist Movements
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.
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