Routledge Handbook of the Arab Spring
Rethinking Democratization
Edited by Larbi Sadiki
To Be Published January 1st 2014 by Routledge – 572 pages
Description
What is the nature of the symbiosis of the ‘Arab Spring’ and ‘democratisation’? How does democratisation lend support to the ‘Arab Spring’? In turn, how does the ‘Arab Spring’ lend sparkle to ‘democratisation’? What are the wider reverberations of this political ‘tsunami’ within and without the Middle East? How do they inform the ‘story’ of democracy and democratisation?
This book seeks to answer these questions, both theoretically and empirically. Theoretically, leading students of democratisation and the Middle East address this symbiosis, critically assessing the ‘status’ of the democratisation paradigm with special reference to the ‘Arab Spring’ or the ‘Arab revolution’. Their theoretical inputs form the book’s opening section. A logical sequel to this section is a section with three chapters on the standing of of Islam and Islamism in reference to rebellion, democracy and democratisation. Empirically, a country by country critical analysis by specialists looks at the correlation of the ‘Arab Spring’ and ‘democratisation’ from below, putting forth theoretical positions drawn on profound investigation opened by two sections each with four chapters on Egypt and Tunisia. These two sections are followed by sections on the arch of uprisings in the Arab region, namely, Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Syria, and Yemen. How has the ‘Arab Spring’ impacted on countries such as Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia? After this section on the Gulf states, the analysis turn to the wider neighbourhood: Iran, Israel, and Turkey. These are countries with their own traditions and practices of politics, democratic or pseudo-democratic. Investigating the angle from without cannot be closed without understanding the impact of the ‘Arab Spring’ on actors further afield such as the US and in the Mediterranean neighbourhood, the EU. To close the circle of this preliminary investigation of the ‘Arab Spring’ and democratisation, a final section considers the role of the new media and Al-Jazeera. Has facebook really heralded the ‘Arab Spring’?
Contents
Introduction: Deconstructing the ‘Arab Spring’: A Paradigm Shift? Part 1: Theorising after the ‘Arab Spring’: Revisiting Democracy, and the Democratisation Paradigm 1. Democratisation: Where to, after the Arab Spring? 2. The Arab Revolution and Arab Democratisation 3. The Life and Death of Democracy? The Context of the Arab Spring 4. The Arab Spring: Beyond ‘Upgrading Authoritarianism’ Part 2: The ‘Arab Spring’: Islam, Islamism, Democracy and Rebellion 5. Islam, Rebellion and Democracy: Reading the Arab Spring 6. The Arab Spring and Islamic Concepts of Democracy and Participation Part 3: Tunisia: The Seeds of the ‘Arab Spring’ 7. The Seeds of Tunisia’s Revolution: Mohammed Bou’azizi and Beyond 8. Role of Rebellious Youth, Trade Unions and Political Parties in Tunisia’s Revolution 9. Rebelling for Human Rights and Civil Society: The Case of Ben Ali’s ‘War on Terror’ 10. Tunisia’s Women: Partners in Revolution Part 4: Egypt’s 25th of January Revolution: Consolidating the ‘Arab Spring’ 11. The Excluded, Youth and Women in Egypt’s Revolution 12. Democratisation, the Muslim Brotherhood and the 25th January Revolution 13. Parliamentary Protest Against Mubarak, 2005-2010 14. Pan-Arab Dissidence for Democracy, from Tunis to Cairo Part 5: The Travel of the ‘Arab Spring’: An Arch of Uprisings & Democratic Possibilities 15. Bahrain’s Revolution and Civil Society’s Quest for Power-Sharing 16. The Arab Spring comes to Syria: Organisation and Mobilisation for Democratic Change 17. Libya’s Arab Spring: Revolt against a 42-year-old Dictatorship 18. The Arab Spring in the Context of the Omani Reform Process 19. Jordan’s Arab Spring and the Struggle for Democracy 20. Yemen’s Arab Spring: Revolt for Democratisation? 21. Algeria: The Limits of Revolution and Democratisation 22. The Arab Spring: Democratisation, the Moroccan Way Part 6: ‘Arab Spring’ by Proxy: Cases from the Arab World 23. The Arab Spring in the Levant and the Question of Democratisation 24. Crackdown, Protect, or Stabilize? Saudi Arabia's Reaction(s) to the ‘Arab Spring’ in Neighbouring Bahrain and Yemen 25. Kuwaiti Democratisation and the Arab Spring 26. The Challenges of Democratisation the ‘Arab Spring’ in Iraq 27. Palestine and the Wind of Arab Revolution Part 7: The ‘Arab Spring’and Democratisation in the Middle East 28. Turkey and the Democratisation Agenda in the Context of the Arab Spring 29. Iran and Democratisation in the context of the Arab Spring 30. Reading Israeli Democracy and Democratisation in the Context of the Arab Spring Part 8: The ‘Arab Spring’, Democratisation and the World 31. The Arab Spring in North America: The US and Canada 32. The Arab Spring and EU Democracy Promotion in Tunisia 33. The EU and Democracy Promotion: Readjusting to the Arab Spring 34. The Arab Spring: A View from the South Part 9: The Arab Revolution New Sites of Struggle: The Democratizing Effect of New Media 35. A Public Sphere Revolution? The Role of Social Media in the 'Arab Spring' 36. Al-Jazeera and the Arab Spring: A Democratising Effect? 37. From the Intifada to the Arab Spring: The Role of New Social Media in Dissidence 38. The Arab Spring: Arab Youth and Technology in Bottom-up Struggle for Empowerment. Conclusions: Democratisation: Towards an ‘Arab Spring’ University
Author Bio
Larbi Sadiki is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University of Exeter.
Name: Routledge Handbook of the Arab Spring: Rethinking Democratization (Hardback) – Routledge
Description: Edited by Larbi Sadiki. What is the nature of the symbiosis of the ‘Arab Spring’ and ‘democratisation’? How does democratisation lend support to the ‘Arab Spring’? In turn, how does the ‘Arab...
Categories: Middle East Politics, Middle East Politics, Middle East Studies, Democracy, Political Behavior and Participation