Synopses & Reviews
Sparked by the protest of a single vegetable seller in Tunisia, the flame of revolutionary passion swept across the Arab world in what has come to be called the Arab Spring of 2011. Millions took to the streets in revolt: the governments of Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya fell, other regimes remain embattled, and no corner of the region has escaped unchanged. In this informed and accessible book, Lin Noueihed and Alex Warren explain the economic and political roots of the Arab Spring, assess what has been accomplished so far, and consider the many stumbling blocks that confront the Arab nations as they try to shape their futures.
Through research, interviews, and a wealth of firsthand experience, the authors explain the unique set of obstacles that endanger stability in each country. They analyze the challenges many Arab nations face in building democratic institutions, finding consensus on political Islam, overcoming tribal divides, and satisfying an insatiable demand for jobs. In an era of change and uncertainty, this insightful guide provides the first clear glimpse of the post-revolutionary future the Arab Spring set in motion.
Review
andquot;The Battle for the Arab Spring is lucidly written and includes a wealth of astute analysis on the politics of the region, from Morocco to Oman. It answers questions I had long wondered about, as well as others that hadnandrsquo;t occurred to me.andquot; andmdash; Paul Hockenos, The Nationaland#160;
Review
andquot;The overall scope and breadth of the work makes it deserving of special recognition. The authors' personal experiences are combined well with a riveting narrative that plays especially well in chronicling the 'battleground states'.andquot; andmdash;James Denselow, Huffington Post
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“Every contributor here has insights to offer. I found myself re-thinking again and again what women activists created in the wake of their historic acts of political resistance. What a valuable book!”
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“Boldly challenging Orientalist and liberalist analyses of the Arab world, El Said, Meari, and Pratt assemble a set of brilliant interventions.”
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“Prescient and insightful. . . succeeds in unpicking unfounded generalizations concerning both the nature of the Arab Spring and of women's participation and resistance.”
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“This timely and exciting volume leaves no doubt that a gendered lens is key to understanding socio-political transformations in the Middle East.”
Review
“If you are interested in Palestinian resistance of Israeli sexual interrogation techniques and/or the post-revolutionary politics of Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia and how they have placed the body and sexuality at center stage, this book offers fresh discussions of new approaches, debates and constructions that will help you appreciate the study of old and new forms of power and their complex relations. As its title suggests, this book is a must read for anyone interested in rethinking gender in revolution and resistance.”
Review
“Complicating our understanding of the gendered genealogies and contours of resistance in the Arab world,
Rethinking Gender in Revolutions and Resistance challenges dominant periodizations of revolutions in the region, mapping a new and persuasive historiography of deeply feminist concerns. An important and original contribution to transnational, postcolonial feminist scholarship.”
Synopsis
The story of the revolutionary zeal that swept the Arab nations in 2011 and an assessment of what the uprisings have achieved to date
Synopsis
This accessible book explains the explosive events of the Arab Spring, assesses each country's accomplishments, and identifies the challenges Arab countries face in forging their own democracies.
Synopsis
Since the end of 2010, when a wave of mass protests and uprisings swept across the Arab world, there has been unprecedented media attention to Arab women and their role in regional political transformations. Yet, this large body of commentary and speculation has yet to culminate in a substantial study of gender roles in relation to the ‘Arab Spring, as well as often ignoring or marginalising socio-political change prior to 2011 and womens participation in it.
Rethinking Gender in Revolutions and Resistance takes an original approach to analysing the shifts in gender roles, gender relations and gender norms that have occurred as the result of what is known as the Arab Spring, rejecting essentialising and orientalist assumptions that dissolve issues of class, nationality, migration and religion which are key axes of social difference in the region.
Synopsis
Ever since the wave of uprisings that swept the Arab world in 2010, Arab women and their role in political transformations have received unprecedented media attention. The copious scrutiny and commentary, however, has yet to result in any serious study of fluctuating gender roles in the Middle East. Rethinking Gender in Revolutions and Resistance is the first book to analyze the shifts in gender roles, relations, and norms that have occurred since the Arab Spring. With chapters written by scholars and activists from the countries affected, including Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria, this is an important addition to Middle Eastern gender studies.
About the Author
Maha El Said is professor of American studies at Cairo University.Lena Meari is assistant professor of social and behavioral science and the Institute of Women's Studies at Birzeit University, Palestine.Nicola Pratt is associate professor of international politics of the Middle East at Warwick University, UK.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements Introduction
Rethinking Gender in Revolutions and Resistance in the Arab World
Maha El Said, Lena Meari and Nicola Pratt
PART 1 The Malleability of Gender and Sexuality in Revolutions and Resistance
1. Reconstructing Gender in Post-revolutionary Egypt
Shereen Abouelnaga
2. Re-signifying ‘Sexual’ Colonial Power Techniques: The Experiences of Palestinian Women Political Prisoners
Lena Meari
3. A Strategic Use of Culture: Egyptian Women’s Subversion and Resignification of Gender Norms
Hala G. Sami
PART 2 The Body and Resistance
4. She Resists: Body Politics Between Radical and Subaltern
Maha El-Said
5. Framing the Female Body: Beyond Morality and Pathology?
Abeer Al-Najjar and Anoud Abusalim
6. Women’s Bodies in Post-Revolution Libya: Control and Resistance
Sahar Mediha Elnaas and Nicola Pratt
PART 3 Gender and the Construction of the Secular/Islamist Binary
7. Islamic Feminism and the Equivocation of Political Engagement: ‘Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair’
Omaima Abou-Bakr
8. Islamic and Secular Women’s Activism and Discourses in Post-uprising Tunisia
Aitemad Muhanna
Conclusion: Towards New Epistemologies and Ontologies of Gender and Socio-Political Transformation in the Arab World
Maha El Said, Lena Meari and Nicola Pratt
About the Contributors
Index