"This project aims to study mobilization in sub-Saharan African countries -with a focus on Nigeria and Zimbabwe- by investigating protest activities between the year 1995 and 2010. By articulating the social movement literature with African studies, the research aims to analyze the impact of the political context and the organizational structure on mobilization in such countries. In addition, it proposes to study the impact of a repressive political context on the organizational structure sustaining mobilization. Empirically, the research will first explore mobilization in various sub-Saharan African countries by using existing public opinion surveys (Afrobarometer Survey Series Data) containing information on individual engagement in protests and public demonstrations. To understand the impact of a repressive context on the organizational structure, it will then analyze protest events and actors involved in protests in Nigeria and Zimbabwe, both classified as repressive countries by international indexes. By specifically focusing on mobilization around the oil-related issues in the Niger Delta, in-depth interviews with main organizational actors will clarify the specific organizational resources necessary for the development of protests in a repressive context.Analyses of these data will privilege a mixed-method approach and will be elaborated through classical inferential statistics and qualitative techniques.The project is relevant for the Work Programme as it proposes a genuine mobility within the ERA and it promotes interdisciplinarity and intersectoriality, thus strengthening exchanges and networks among scientific communities. In addition, it aims to attract the interests by non-specialists on issues relevant for European policies."