Social Media and the Dual Role of Lawyers from Supporting Human Rights to Activism in the 2019 Algerian Hirak
type: CreativeWork
description: This thesis explores the dual role of Algerian lawyers, both as legal professionals and political activists, during the 2019 Hirak movement. It pays particular attention to their strategic use of social media. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, the study combines qualitative semi-structured interviews and content analysis with quantitative survey data, engaging twenty-one lawyers from various Algerian regions. The research is grounded in a multi-theoretical framework encompassing Critical Internet Theory, Social Movement Theory, Fanon’s decolonial lens, Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory, Marxist analysis, Critical Legal Studies, and Legal Mobilisation Theory. The study investigates how digital tools shape legal advocacy, political expression and professional identity in a repressive political context, by means of this framework. The findings reveal that social media platforms, especially Facebook and WhatsApp, served as vital instruments for legal coordination, rights-based discourse, and public engagement, allowing lawyers to challenge state narratives and disseminate legal knowledge. These digital practices blurred the boundaries between traditional legal professionalism and activism, as lawyers evolved from fulfilling professional duties to embracing ideological and moral missions grounded in historical resistance and cultural identity. Participants reported escalating government repression, including censorship, surveillance, and arrests, underscoring the risks inherent in digital legal activism. The study also highlights regional and generational diversity among lawyers, illustrating how local histories and familial legacies informed their commitment to justice and human rights. While social media has empowered legal mobilisation, it also exposed lawyers to ethical dilemmas, professional tensions and systemic surveillance. This research contributes to current understandings of the intersection between law, digital media and social movements. It offers insigh…
abstract: This thesis explores the dual role of Algerian lawyers, both as legal professionals and political activists, during the 2019 Hirak movement. It pays particular attention to their strategic use of social media. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, the study combines qualitative semi-structured interviews and content analysis with quantitative survey data, engaging twenty-one lawyers from various Algerian regions. The research is grounded in a multi-theoretical framework encompassing Critical Internet Theory, Social Movement Theory, Fanon’s decolonial lens, Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory, Marxist analysis, Critical Legal Studies, and Legal Mobilisation Theory. The study investigates how digital tools shape legal advocacy, political expression and professional identity in a repressive political context, by means of this framework. The findings reveal that social media platforms, especially Facebook and WhatsApp, served as vital instruments for legal coordination, rights-based discourse, and public engagement, allowing lawyers to challenge state narratives and disseminate legal knowledge. These digital practices blurred the boundaries between traditional legal professionalism and activism, as lawyers evolved from fulfilling professional duties to embracing ideological and moral missions grounded in historical resistance and cultural identity. Participants reported escalating government repression, including censorship, surveillance, and arrests, underscoring the risks inherent in digital legal activism. The study also highlights regional and generational diversity among lawyers, illustrating how local histories and familial legacies informed their commitment to justice and human rights. While social media has empowered legal mobilisation, it also exposed lawyers to ethical dilemmas, professional tensions and systemic surveillance. This research contributes to current understandings of the intersection between law, digital media and social movements. It offers insigh…
author: Redouane, Nahed
date published: 2026
date modified: 2026-07-24T06:01:01Z
provider: University of Westminster
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Westminster

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.34737/x54v7