Jasmin Lorch

Jasmin Lorch is a Research Fellow at the GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies. Her current research interests include civil society developments in the Philippines, Bangladesh and Algeria, democratization and political conflict in Bangladesh, and the political transition in Myanmar. She has been involved in consultancy work for various development agencies working in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

E-Mail: Jasmin.Lorch@giga-hamburg.de

This individual is a guest contributor for mei.edu, and is not affiliated with The Middle East Institute.

Publications

Oct 30, 2018

Jasmin Lorch

Trajectories of Political Salafism: Insights from the Ahle Hadith Movement in Pakistan and Bangladesh

Oct 30, 2018

Jasmin Lorch

The recent research on Salafism has focused almost entirely on the Middle East, while neglecting other world regions, such as Asia. However, the region of former British India, and, especially, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh that emerged from the partition of India in 1947 and 1971, respectively, provide highly interesting insights into the trajectories that the development of political Salafism can take. In this region, the Ahle Hadith school of thought, the South Asian variant of Salafism, has a tradition of political activism that predates the emergence of political Salafism in the Middle East.
Aug 22, 2017

Jasmin Lorch and Jonas Burkhard

Online and Traditional Forms of Protest Mobilization: Morocco’s Rif Protests and Beyond

Aug 22, 2017

Jasmin Lorch and Jonas Burkhard

When investigating the relative role that social media and other factors can play in the mobilization of popular demonstrations, the recent Rif protests, which some have perceived as having the potential to spark a “second Arab Spring” in Morocco, are interesting to look at. These protests suggest that large-scale popular demonstrations might often result from a combination of both online mobilization and much more traditional mobilization strategies employed by charismatic movement leaders. In this sense, the Rif protests also contradict assumptions about the presumed role of “diffuse leadership,” which emerged in the context of the Arab Spring.
Sep 6, 2016

Jasmin Lorch

Varieties and Dilemmas of Activism in Informal Spaces of Resistance: The Case of Burma under Military Rule

Sep 6, 2016

Jasmin Lorch

Activism in informal spaces of resistance in Burma took a large variety of forms, which often differed from horizontal, inclusive and democratic modes of mobilization. This essay sketches three of the most relevant examples of such informal activism and shares some of the lessons these examples might hold for the MENA region and beyond.
Oct 8, 2015

Jasmin Lorch

Civil Society in the Philippines: An Example for the MENA Region?

Oct 8, 2015

Jasmin Lorch

If the case of the Philippines is any measure, civil society actors rely on strategic alliances with political elites in order to be able to exert profound political influence, and popular demonstrations led by civil society are dependent on at least tacit military support to succeed. A cursory look at the MENA region shows a rather similar pattern. During the Arab Spring, civilian protests toppled authoritarian regimes only in those countries where the military chose not to crack down, or even sided with the protesters.

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Jasmin Lorch

Trajectories of Political Salafism: Insights from the Ahle Hadith Movement in Pakistan and Bangladesh

Online and Traditional Forms of Protest Mobilization: Morocco’s Rif Protests and Beyond

Varieties and Dilemmas of Activism in Informal Spaces of Resistance: The Case of Burma under Military Rule

Civil Society in the Philippines: An Example for the MENA Region?