The waves of protest that swept through the Arab world in 2011 and 2012 and the toppling of the Tunisian and Egyptian regimes have focused attention on the opposition to authoritarian regimes. In Jordan, between censorship, repression and election rigging, political activism is limited despite the democratic opening of 1989. The apparent stability of the Jordanian regime is in fact based on complex and changing authoritarian processes that are implemented differently depending on the social and political arena. However, opposition does exist and different ways of protesting have emerged. The experience of the opponents sheds light on conditions concerning political commitments in a repressive regime. A field survey conducted over several years has made it possible to chart the paths of longstanding activists of different leanings: Islamists, nationalists and communists. With the exception of the Islamists, who have always been authorized - if sometimes repressed by the Jordanian monarchy -opposition has shifted from underground movements to a heavily controlled public sphere. These political journeys serve to highlight the general conditions for political activism in a repressive regime, but also the meaning individuals attach to their commitment and their chosen ideologies.
