Contentious politics in the Middle East
Subtitle: political opposition under authoritarianism
By: edited by Holger Albrecht.
Contributors: Albrecht, Holger, 1972-
Series: Governance and international relations in the Middle East
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Gainesville
Language: eng
Number of pages: 252
ISBN-13: 9780813034744
Subjects: Opposition (Political science) -- Middle East; Authoritarianism -- Middle East; Middle East -- Politics and government -- 1979-
Description: Scholarship examining the governments in the Middle East and North Africa rarely focuses on opposition movements, since those countries tend to be ruled by a centralized, often authoritarian government. However, even in an oppressive state, there are civil society and oppositional forces at work. The contributors to Contentious Politics in the Middle East reveal how such forces emerge and are manifested in nondemocratic states across the region. In most cases, the essays offer a comparative perspective, highlighting similarities across political borders. Providing historical context for current events, they examine the sociopolitical situations in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Algeria and analyze the role of Islam in Arab statesʹ governments and in the opposition movements to them. They also demonstrate that not all opposition forces propose the overthrow of authority and point out the various forms opposition takes in societies that leave little room for political activism. The contributors to the volume are drawn from countries across three continents and bring backgrounds in political science, conflict resolution, and history. Challenging the assertion that state-society relations are limited to coercive top-down arrangements in authoritarian regimes, the book will inspire debate on the topic of contentious political participation within the region as well as in similar settings throughout the world. -- Publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.