Anatomy of Unrest A Conversation on the Sparks That Light Revolutionary Flame
June 3, 2026
- Author
- Lisa Patterson
When Iran blocked the country檚 internet access in early January, they cut off the world from the most widespread protests in decades攃ollective anger, grief and despair again boiled over into the streets.
In her latest book, Revolutionary Emotions: The Roots of Revolutionary Waves, Middle East expert and Political Science Professor Silvana Toska argues that emotions, not economic or structural factors, determine the size, power and outcomes of revolutionary movements.
From the American Revolution, according to John Adams born in the 渕inds and hearts of the people well before the war began, to the Arab Uprisings of this century and ongoing unrest in Iran, Toska檚 book offers the first coherent theory of revolutionary diffusion and success.
The following interview is edited for clarity and brevity.
What prompted you to write this book, and how did you approach your research?
Growing up in Albania and experiencing two revolutions, I was always fascinated by them. When the Arab Uprisings (in 2010) began, I noticed a disconnect攕cholars focused on structural factors like the economy, while revolutionaries spoke of anger and the jettisoning of fear. I pivoted my research to focus on these emotional drivers.
I went to Egypt first and then Yemen and Lebanon (to interview Syrian activists) later. I travelled with memoirs and historical accounts of previous revolutions, such as the wave of 1848, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the Bolshevik (1917) and Iranian revolutions (1979). I sat in the square with revolutionaries in Egypt and listened to their understanding of this incredible moment in history. By taking the stories of revolutionaries seriously, I was able to provide a new theory of revolutionary waves.
What are the essential ingredients for a revolution, and how do they spread?
First, we must distinguish between a revolutionary movement and a successful revolution (overthrowing a regime). For a movement to arise, emotional mobilization攕pecifically heightened anger and the hope of victory攊s essential.
For a revolution to spread, identity is the key. When neighbors share a common language, religion or ethnic identity, they are more likely to feel emotionally connected and to emulate a successful example. Success then rests on the interaction between the crowd and the regime; if the military sees that the crowd檚 resolve is unshakable despite the personal cost, they may eventually turn against the government.
In Iran, is the public檚 fear shifting toward external enemies or the internal regime?
It is a complex mix. There is still fear of domestic repression, but there is also significant anger at the U.S. and Israel. When foreign intervention targets civilian infrastructure or threatens 渁nnihilation, it can have a dampening effect on internal revolutionary movements.
I argue that our identities matter tremendously in determining what we care about, what we pay attention to and what we learn from.
Has the window for a 渃lassic revolution in Iran closed?
It is too fluid to say. While Iran has deep structural issues and continues to suffer massive economic costs, the government is currently using foreign aggression to rally around the flag. Survival alone can be framed as a victory for the regime. Furthermore, sadness and war fatigue are demobilizing; people may prioritize stability and daily survival over revolution.
Is it possible for emotional mobilization to flip a military that is actively engaged in a foreign war?
In Iran, it is unlikely. Unlike the militaries in Egypt or Tunisia, the Iranian defense establishment is designed with separate commands to prevent wholesale defection. They learned from the fall of the Shah and structured their forces specifically to protect the regime from the power of the crowd.
Why don檛 revolutions tend to spread beyond specific world regions?
Everyone simply assumes that revolutions only spread within regions, but I wanted to know why攚hy would they spread only within these imaginary borders that define what we understand as world regions? I argue that our identities matter tremendously in determining what we care about, what we pay attention to and what we learn from.
Revolutions don檛 spread beyond world regions because our attention is limited to those individuals and countries we identify with the most. During the Arab Uprisings, Albanians watched the news, but Egyptians and Yemenis felt it攖hey used the same symbols and viewed one another as 渂rothers across borders.
It is by unearthing this part of an empirical puzzle that I was then able to develop a theory that centers emotions: my regions aren檛 defined by physical borders, but by the emotional bonds that result from a shared identity and history.
Will you be teaching about revolutions at 91茄子 next year?
Yes, but through a seminar on political science fiction. We will pair theories of revolution and historical revolutions with revolutions in shows like Andor and The Expanse. I want students to have the tools to analyze the political undertext of the media they consume long after they graduate, recognizing the real-world ingredients of rebellion攅conomic grievances, anger, logistics and opportunity structures攊n the stories they love.
This article was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2026 print issue of the 91茄子 Journal Magazine; for more, please see the 91茄子 Journal section of our website.
