The Arab Spring Civil Society And Innovative Activism

Author : Cenap Çakmak
Publisher : Springer
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2016-12-09
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781137571779

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The Arab Spring, Civil Society, and Innovative Activism by Cenap Çakmak Pdf

This book investigates the role of society groups in the making of the Arab Spring and under which conditions they attained their goals. Democracy and recognition of human rights and fundamental freedoms seem to be the main drives of the people organized in form of civil groups or grassroots movements in the Arab Spring countries; but it is essential to identify when they find it suitable to take such extreme action as taking the streets in an attempt to take down the repressive regimes. It is also important to investigate what methods they relied on in their action and how they challenged the state and the government. A review of the cases in this volume shows that civil society has certain limitations in its action. Analysis of the cases also challenges a commonly held assumption that the Arab world does not have strong and rich civil society tradition. However, for a lasting success and consolidation of democracy, something more than civil society action is obviously needed. A strong organized opposition and a democratic culture seems to be indispensable elements for the evolution of a democratic order and tradition.

Author : Fawaz A. Gerges
Publisher : Springer
Page : 566 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2016-04-29
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781137530868

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Contentious Politics in the Middle East by Fawaz A. Gerges Pdf

While the Arab people took center stage in the Arab Spring protests, academic studies have focused more on structural factors to understand the limitations of these popular uprisings. This book analyzes the role and complexities of popular agency in the Arab Spring through the framework of contentious politics and social movement theory.

Author : Lina Khatib,Ellen Lust
Publisher : JHU Press
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2014-05-20
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781421413112

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Taking to the Streets by Lina Khatib,Ellen Lust Pdf

Debunks the simplistic narratives of youth-driven, social media revolutions in the Arab Spring. Taking to the Streets critically examines the conventional wisdom that the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings happened spontaneously and were directed by tech-savvy young revolutionaries. Pairing first-hand observations from activists with the critical perspectives of scholars, the book illuminates the concept of activism as an ongoing process, rather than a sudden burst of defiance. The contributors examine case studies from uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, evaluating the various manifestations of political activism within the context of each country's distinct sociopolitical landscape. The chapters include a country-specific timeline of the first year following the uprisings and conclude with lessons learned. First-hand observations include those of Libyan activist Rihab Elhaj, who reflects on how the revolution gave birth to Libyan civil society, as well as Syrian writer and human rights activist Khawla Dunia, who discusses how Syrians have tried to remain steadfast in their commitment to nonviolent resistance. A foreword by Prince Hicham Ben Abdallah El Alaoui—third in succession to the Moroccan throne and consulting professor at Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL)—provides a historical overview of activism in the Middle East and North Africa. A postscript from CDDRL director Larry Diamond distinguishes the study of activism from that of democratization. Taking to the Streets will be used in courses on Middle East politics and will be relevant to scholars and the general public interested in democratization, political change, and activism.

Author : Nasser Yassin,Robert Hoppe
Publisher : Springer
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2019-03-19
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783030020897

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Women, Civil Society and Policy Change in the Arab World by Nasser Yassin,Robert Hoppe Pdf

This book examines the ways in which Arab civil society actors have attempted to influence public policies. In particular, the book studies the drive towards a change of policies that affect women and their well-being. It does so through the lens of women civil society activism and through analysis of cases of policy reform in three Arab countries namely: Lebanon, Morocco and Yemen. The book addresses the tension between policy change and state repression; between Islamic traditional/religious values and civil/secular ones; between the formal and the informal channels for policy-making. One of the first books to reflect on the capability of Arab civil society actors to influence change, it traces recent policy evolution from before the Arab Uprisings in 2011 until the present day, and describes the limited ability of civil society actors to induce change and substantiate it over recent decades. The book explores the use of policy theories in the analysis of cases, and reflects on the possibility of applying and “adapting” those concepts, largely applied in the Western world, to encompass policymaking in the Arab world without conceptual 'overstretch'.

Author : Francesco Cavatorta,Vincent Durac
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 187 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2010-10-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9781136963384

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Civil Society and Democratization in the Arab World by Francesco Cavatorta,Vincent Durac Pdf

The transition paradigm has traditionally viewed civil society activism as an essential condition for the establishment of democracy. The democracy promotion strategies of Western policy-makers have, therefore, been based on strengthening civil society in authoritarian settings in order to support the development of social capital -to challenge undemocratic regimes. This book questions the validity of the link between an active associational life and democratization. It examines civil society in the Arab world in order to illustrate how authoritarian constraints structure civil society dynamics in the region in ways that hinder transition to democracy. Building on innovative theoretical work and drawing on empirical data from extensive fieldwork in the region, this study demonstrates how the activism of civil society in five different Arab countries strengthens rather than weakens authoritarian practices and rule. Through an analysis of the specific legal and political constraints on associational life, and the impact of these on relations between different civic groups, and between associations and state authorities, the book demonstrates that the claim that civil society plays a positive role in processes of democratic transformation is highly questionable. Offering a broad and alternative vision of the state of civil society in the region, this book will be an important contribution to studies on Middle Eastern politics, democratization and civil society activism.

Author : Philip N. Howard,Muzammil M. Hussain
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 161 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2013-04-04
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780199936953

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Democracy's Fourth Wave? by Philip N. Howard,Muzammil M. Hussain Pdf

Did digital media really "cause" the Arab Spring, or is it an important factor of the story behind what might become democracy's fourth wave? An unlikely network of citizens used digital media to start a cascade of social protest that ultimately toppled four of the world's most entrenched dictators. Howard and Hussain find that the complex causal recipe includes several economic, political and cultural factors, but that digital media is consistently one of the most important sufficient and necessary conditions for explaining both the fragility of regimes and the success of social movements. This book looks at not only the unexpected evolution of events during the Arab Spring, but the deeper history of creative digital activism throughout the region.

Author : Dafna Hochman Rand
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
Page : 185 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2013-06-14
Category : History
ISBN : 9780812245301

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Roots of the Arab Spring by Dafna Hochman Rand Pdf

The first book-length assessment of events whose ramifications are still unfolding, Roots of the Arab Spring is a coherent and incisive account of the factors that gave rise to the Arab Spring.

Author : Maryam Jamshidi
Publisher : Elsevier
Page : 124 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2013-09-17
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780124165748

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The Future of the Arab Spring by Maryam Jamshidi Pdf

Civic entrepreneurship lies at the heart of the Arab Spring. From the iconic image of an occupied Tahrir Square to scenes of dancing protesters in Syria and politically conscious hip hop in Tunisia, people across the Middle East and North Africa continue to collaborate and experiment their way out of years of dictatorship and political stagnation. The Future of the Arab Spring examines the spirit of civic entrepreneurship that brought once untouchable dictators to their knees and continues to shape the region's political, artistic, and technology sectors. Through interviews with some of the region's leading civic entrepreneurs, including political activists, artists, and technologists, Maryam Jamshidi broadens popular understandings of recent events in this misunderstood region of the world. Features first-hand interviews with some of the most important political, cultural, and economic players on the ground in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, and other Arab Spring countries Offers a window into a region often misunderstood in the United States Illuminates the potential for positive, grassroots change in the social, political, and economic systems of Arab countries

Author : Nadine Sika
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 177 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2024-07-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780198882411

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Civil Society in the Middle East by Nadine Sika Pdf

Civil Society in the Middle East analyzes the impact of repression on civil society activism in the Middle East through analyzing the cases of Egypt and Jordan. Sika argues that authoritarian regimes' repressive strategies toward civil society actors vary depending on recent historical experience with regime breakdown and/or continuity. Authoritarian regimes that go through breakdown and that transition from one autocratic rule to another increase repression against all civil society actors in an effort to pre-empt large-scale mobilization. This instils fear into civil society actors, who as a result either disengage from civic and political activism or turn to different forms of participation, such as social entrepreneurship. On the other hand, long-standing authoritarian regimes that have not faced breakdown utilize targeted repression and co-optation strategies while tolerating civic and political activism, as well as some forms of contentious activities. Civil society actors in these regimes are able to grasp political opportunities to mobilize for demonstrations at certain times and in certain spaces, and to develop coalition partnerships to push the regime to advance some reforms and change.

Author : Sahar Khamis,Amel Mili
Publisher : Springer
Page : 258 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2017-11-17
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783319607351

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Arab Women's Activism and Socio-Political Transformation by Sahar Khamis,Amel Mili Pdf

This book illustrates how Arab women have been engaging in three ongoing, parallel struggles, before, during, and after the Arab Spring, on three levels, namely: the political struggle to pave the road for democracy, freedom, and reform; the social struggle to achieve gender equality and fight all forms of injustice and discrimination against women; and the legal struggle to chart new laws which can safeguard both the political and the social gains. The contributors argue that while the political upheavals were oftentimes more prevalent and visible, they should not overshadow the parallel social and legal revolutions which are equally important, due to their long-term impacts on the region. The chapters shed light on the intersections, overlaps and divergences between these simultaneous, continuous gendered struggles and unpacks their complexities and multiple implications, locally, regionally, and internationally, across different countries and through different phases.

Author : Jason Brownlee,Tarek E. Masoud,Tarek Masoud,Andrew Reynolds
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 353 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : History
ISBN : 9780199660070

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The Arab Spring by Jason Brownlee,Tarek E. Masoud,Tarek Masoud,Andrew Reynolds Pdf

Several years after the Arab Spring began, democracy remains elusive in the Middle East. While Tunisia has made progress towards democracy, other countries that overthrew their rulers - Egypt, Yemen, and Libya - remain in authoritarianism and instability. This volume provides a foundational exploration of the Arab Spring's successes and failures.

Author : Ward Vloeberghs
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 220 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2024-06-02
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9783031513220

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Social Accountability Initiatives in Morocco, Tunisia, and Lebanon by Ward Vloeberghs Pdf

Author : Mehran Kamrava
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 480 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2014-12-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9780190257385

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Beyond the Arab Spring by Mehran Kamrava Pdf

The Arab Spring occurred within the context of the unravelling of the dominant 'ruling bargain' that emerged across the Middle East in the 1950s. This is being replaced by a new and in- choate system that redefines sources of authority and legitimacy through various devices (such as constitutions), experiences, and processes (mass protests, civil wars, and elections), by reassessing the roles, functions, and at times the structures of institutions (political parties and organisations, the armed forces, the executive); and by the initiative of key personalities and actors (agency). Across the Arab world and the Middle East, 'authority' and 'political legitimacy' are in flux. Where power will ultimately reside depends largely on the shape, voracity, and staying power of these new, emerging conceptions of authority. The contributors to this book examine the nature and evolution of ruling bargains, the political systems to which they gave rise, the steady unravelling of the old systems and the structural consequences thereof, and the uprisings that have engulfed much of the Middle East since December 2010.

Author : Wanda Krause
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2012-05-27
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780857722508

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Civil Society and Women Activists in the Middle East by Wanda Krause Pdf

In the Middle East, and in Egypt in particular, there has always been a tendency to accord complete supremacy to the authority and might of the state, and to see 'society' as a separate, powerless entity. However, after the uprising of 2011, this assumption was turned on its head. And it is the wide range of political activity beyond the remit of the official state where Wanda Krause locates a dynamic potential for political change from the bottom up. She looks in particular at the influential role of women's private voluntary organisations in Egypt in shaping concepts of civil society and democracy. Exploring both secular and 'Islamist' organisations, she offers a steadfast critique of the view that Islamic women activists are insignificant, 'backward' or 'uncivil'. Krause's examination of women activists in Egypt today is vital for those interested in Middle East and Gender Studies, as well as those researching the wider issues of civil society and democratisation.

Author : Larbi Sadiki
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 1025 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2014-12-17
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781317650027

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Routledge Handbook of the Arab Spring by Larbi Sadiki Pdf

The self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi in Tunisia in December 2010 heralded the arrival of the ‘Arab Spring,’ a startling, yet not unprecedented, era of profound social and political upheaval. The meme of the Arab Spring is characterised by bottom-up change, or the lack thereof, and its effects are still unfurling today. The Routledge Handbook of the Arab Spring seeks to provide a departure point for ongoing discussion of a fluid phenomenon on a plethora of topics, including: Contexts and contests of democratisation The sweep of the Arab Spring Egypt Women and the Arab Spring Agents of change and the technology of protest Impact of the Arab Spring in the wider Middle East and further afield Collating a wide array of viewpoints, specialisms, biases, and degrees of proximity and distance from events that shook the Arab world to its core, the Handbook is written with the reader in mind, to provide students, practitioners, diplomats, policy-makers and lay readers with contextualization and knowledge, and to set the stage for further discussion of the Arab Spring.