The Dawn of the Arab Uprisings: End of an Old Order? - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0745333249 ISBN 13: 9780745333243

Publisher: Pluto Press, 2012

Synopsis

The Dawn of the Arab Uprisings sheds light on the historical context and initial impact of the mass uprisings that have shaken the Arab world since December 2010. The volume documents the first nine months of the Arab uprisings and explains the backgrounds and trajectories of these popular movements and regime strategies to contain them. It provides critical analysis and at times first-hand accounts of events that have received little or superficial coverage in Western and Arab media alike. While the book focuses on those states that have been most affected by the uprisings, inlcuding Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, and Syria, it also covers the impact on Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq.
As the initial phase of the uprisings subsides, counter-revolution sets in, and grand narratives crystallize, it is important to take note of the diversity of reactions that emanated from activists, scholars, and others as the uprisings were first unfolding. In this sense, the volume archives the realm of possibilities, both imaginative and practical, optimistic and pessimistic, that were opened up as people sought to make sense of the rapidly unfolding events.
The volume features a Forward by Roger Owen, an Introduction by the editors, and an Epilogue by Madawi al-Rasheed. The bulk of the volume is divided into three sets of sections. The first section contains theoretical, conceptual , and comparative chapters. The next set of sections (each with an introduction) contain chapters on Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, and Syria. The third section (with an introduction) is entitled "Regional Reverberations," and features chapters on Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon. The authors, many of whom live in the countries affected, provide unique understanding and first-hand accounts of events that have received superficial and partial coverage in Western and Arab media alike. The Dawn of the Arab Uprisings covers the full range of issues involved in these historic events, from political economy, to the role of social media, to international politics, gender, labor, and impact on culture, making this the ideal one-stop introduction to the events for the novice and specialist alike.

About this title

About the Author

Bassam Haddad is Director of the Middle East Studies Program and teaches in the Department of Public and International Affairs at George Mason University. He is the author of Business Networks in Syria: The Political Economy of Authoritarian Resilience (2012).

Rosie Bsheer is a PhD Candidate in the Department of History at Columbia University.

Ziad Abu-Rish is a PhD Candidate in the Department of History at the University of California Los Angeles.

Review

"As contemporary reflections, these writings capture the unfolding of revolutionary events as they happened and convey the uncertainties, hopes and disappointments of collective worlds being remade. As the work of scholars and activists with a rich knowledge of the region's histories and political aspirations, the essays offer lasting insights into the forces shaping a new moment in world history." - Timothy Mitchell, Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies, Columbia University

"A primer of importance not only to students of the "Arab spring," but also to those concerned with protest more generally. Registering both the exhilarating optimism and crushing disappointment of contemporary political life, this volume gives voice to some of the possibilities for and impasses to political transformation." - Lisa Wedeen, Professor of Political Science, The University of Chicago

"Jadaliyya has established itself as an indispensable source dealing with the contemporary Arab world. This collection of its pieces on the Arab uprisings is perhaps the best introduction to the political movements that have shaken that region since January 2011. It represents a set of intelligent commentaries on revolutionary events in almost every Arab country, and their repercussions in the area generally and beyond. Essential reading." - Talal Asad, Professor of Anthropology, City University of New York

"The outburst of the Arab Revolutions demands imaginative and novel perspectives on the Arab world, and Jadaliyya has managed to provide a unique forum covering the region with a fresh approach to its issues and problems. Its talented contributors, from the Arab world and beyond, combine objectivity with a progressive, humanistic engagement, and never shy away from sometimes explosive topics. Necessary reading." - Fawwaz Traboulsi, author of A History of Modern Lebanon

Edition details

• Publisher: Pluto Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0745333249
• ISBN 13: 9780745333243
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 328
• Editor: Haddad Bassam, Bsheer Rosie, Abu-Rish Ziad