Download or read book Democracy and Civil Society in Arab Political Thought written by Michaelle L. Browers and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 2006-10-13 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a significant and unique contribution to the emerging literature of comparative political thought. Michaelle L. Browers offers compelling evidence, with extensive analysis and references, that a rigorous debate is taking place in Arabic concerning the value of democracy and civil society. Exploring the globalization of ideas of democracy and civil society, Browers addresses the question of what occurs when concepts cross the boundaries of cultures or languages. She analyzes the historical concept of democracy in Arab and Islamic political thought, the transformations that have occurred over the past several decades resulting from Arab forays into an international discussion of civil society and what these transformations tell us about the status of ideological and conceptual debates in the region. The book’s value, however, lies in its main premise: despite the dearth of actual democratic practices in the Arab world, intellectual elites of the region have vigorously debated reform concepts for decades. Browers emphasizes that current conflicts involving the Middle East are less about Islam against the west and its secular allies in the region and more about diverse sectors of Arab society grappling with how to reform overreaching and unjust states. Browers shows that the seeds of democratic reform in the region were well planted prior to the war on Iraq and the Greater Middle East Initiative.
Download or read book Religion and Civil Society in the Arab World written by Tania Haddad and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2018-06-14 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the links between civil society, religion and politics in the Middle East and North Africa region. The chapters in the volume explore the role of religion in shaping and changing the public sphere in regions that are developing and/or in conflict. They also discuss how these relations are reflected on civil society organizations and the role they are expected to play in transitional periods. This volume: investigates the conceptual dilemmas regarding what is ‘civil society’ in the Arab world today examines the dynamic roles of civil society organizations and religion in the Middle East and North Africa explores the future of the Arab civil society post-‘Arab Spring’ events, and how the latter continues to reshape the demand for democracy in the region. A comprehensive study of how the Arab civil society has come into being and its changing roles, this eclectic work will be of interest to scholars and researchers of politics, especially political Islam, international relations, Middle East Studies, African Studies, sociology and social anthropology.
Download or read book The Search for Arab Democracy written by Larbi Sadiki and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 510 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How to be a "democrat" and a "Muslim" at the same time is the subject of ongoing contests. This book maps out the variety of voices contesting "Islam" and "democracy" in the Arab world, insisting that neither category can be taken as unitary or fixed. In the Arab Middle East, the contest is over "which", "whose", and "how much" democracy takes place within an existing contest over "which", "whose", and "how much" Islam must be given pre-eminence in the political and cultural sphere. There is a "Democracy" and there are "democracies." There is an "Islam" and there are "islams." Larbi Sadiki deploys the conceptual tools of contemporary Western political philosophy and theory to articulate and defend some provocative theses. The book challenges Eurocentric conceptions of democracy that all-too-frequently display a lack of concern for specificity and context; analyzes and interrogates Orientalist and Occidentalist discourses on democracy; and considers some of the justifications for democracy in the global arena, giving space for self-representation by women and Islamists, among others. Using interviews with Muslims from every social and economic stratum, the book shows how Arabs themselves understand, imagine, and view democracy.
Download or read book Civil Society and Democratization in the Arab World written by Francesco Cavatorta and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-10-04 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Democracy and Arab Political Culture written by Elie Kedourie and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-11-05 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Except for Israel, the Middle East remains largely untouched by the democratic revolution that swept across Eastern Europe and the former USSR. This book aims to explain and analyze the reasons why despotism or religious fundamentalism continue to control the Middle Eastern countries.
Download or read book Political Thinking Political Theory and Civil Society written by Steven M. DeLue and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-07-01 with total page 489 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive overview of the Western tradition of political thought approaches concepts with the aim of helping readers develop their own political thinking and critical thinking skills. This text is uniquely organized around the theme of civil society — what is the nature of a civil society? why is it important? — that will engage students and help make the material relevant. Major thinkers discussed in the text are explored not only with the goal of understanding their views, but also with an interest in understanding the relationship of their ideas to the notion of a civil society. DeLue and Dale contend that a civil society is important for securing the way of life that most of us value and want to preserve, a way of life that allows people to live freely and place significance on their own lives. New to the Fourth Edition Connects traditional political theory to contemporary challenges to civil society including new coverage of US electoral politics, the Black Lives Matter movement, Citizens United, and Robert Putnam’s view of the decline of social support systems. Updates the coverage of feminism and feminist thinkers, including coverage of gay marriage, in the context of civil society. Expands coverage of global civil society, especially in terms of contemporary challenges posed by ISIS, the failure of the Arab Spring, and ongoing humanitarian crises in Syria, Iran, and beyond.
Download or read book ISS 12 The Arab Revolutions in Context written by Benjamin Isakhan and published by Melbourne Univ. Publishing. This book was released on 2012-08-01 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From late 2010 a series of dramatic and unprecedented events swept across the Middle East and North Africa, toppling several autocratic regimes that had held power for decades and ushering in a new climate of dissent and democratisation. The Arab Revolutions in Context seizes a unique opportunity to reflect on these seismic events, their causes and consequences, and the core issues facing the region as it moves forward. This volume is more than a collection of detailed thematic essays. It situates the Arab Revolutions within their broader contextual backgrounds—showing that a unique set of historical events, as well as local, regional and global dynamics, has converged to provide the catalyst that triggered the recent revolts-and also within a new conceptual framework. The argument here is that the Arab Revolutions pose a very specific challenge to conventional wisdom concerning democracy and democratisation in the Middle East. The Arab Revolutions in Context is the first volume of its kind to address the Arab Revolutions and the varying analyses, debates and discussions that they have stimulated.
Download or read book Critical Theory and Democracy written by Enrique Peruzzotti and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-11-27 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on Andrew Arato’s democratic theory and its relevance to contemporary issues such as processes of democratization, civil society, constitution-making, and the modern Executive. Andrew Arato is -both globally and disciplinarily- a prominent thinker in the fields of democratic theory, constitutional law, and comparative politics, influencing several generations of scholars. This is the first volume to systematically address his democratic theory. Including contributions from leading scholars such as Dick Howard, Ulrich Preuss, Hubertus Buchstein, Janos Kis, Uri Ram, Leonardo Avritzer, Carlos de la Torre, and Nicolás Lynch, this book is organized around three major areas of Arato ́s influence on contemporary political and social thought. The first section offers a comprehensive view of Arato’s scholarship from his early work on critical theory and Western Marxism to his current research on constitution-making and its application. The second section shifts its focus from the previous, comprehensive approach, to a much more specific one: Arato ́s widespread influence on the study of civil society in democratization processes in Latin America. The third section includes a previously unpublished work, ‘A conceptual history of dictatorship (and its rivals,)’ one of the few systematic interrogations on the meaning of a political form of fundamental relevance in the contemporary world. Critical Theory and Democracy will be of interest to critical and social theorists, and all Arato scholars.
Download or read book The Arab Spring Civil Society and Innovative Activism written by Cenap Çakmak and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-12-09 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Promoting Middle East Democracy II written by Mona Yacoubian and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Democratization in the Arab World written by Laurel E. Miller and published by Rand Corporation. This book was released on 2012-07-18 with total page 435 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Daunting challenges lie ahead for Arab countries where revolutions have upended longstanding authoritarian regimes. This monograph aims to help policymakers understand the challenges ahead, form well-founded expectations, shape diplomatic approaches, and take practical steps to foster positive change.
Download or read book Civil Society in the Arab World written by Nawwāf Salām and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Non Western Encounters with Democratization written by Christopher K. Lamont and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-03-09 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Non-Western Encounters with Democratization offers diverse perspectives on democracy and transition spanning the Middle East and North Africa to East Asia. This unique collection of essays, drawn from contextually rich case studies presents readers with a variety of non-western encounters with democracy and provides important insights into the dramatic political and social transformations in these regions over the past decades. The book offers a deeper understanding of democratization and challenges the image of western democracy as a universal model to which non-western societies aspire. Taking the events of the Arab Spring as the starting point, international contributors look at why the uprisings that rapidly spread across North Africa and the Middle East had a strong resonance in East Asia but failed to inspire similar revolts. Through direct engagement with non-western experiences of political transition the book demonstrates a unique coherence across two regions relatively under explored in democratization literature.
Download or read book Civil Society and Lebanon written by Michael D. Dawahare and published by Universal-Publishers. This book was released on 2000 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study pursues a hermeneutic and dialogic conception of the public sphere. Through a critical assessment of the development of the closely related ideas of civil society and a democratic public sphere, Specifically, this study explores Ibn Khaldoun's notion of Asabiya and its impact on the constitution of civil society and the public sphere in Lebanon, paying particular attention to the notions of power and authority within the context of this indigenous concept in particular, and Lebanese (and Arab) culture in general. "Professor Dawahare has applied a set of complex theories to the Lebanese situation, and the result has been to better explain Lebanese politics as well as to probe new theoretical terrain. The study is comprehensive and represents a better use of theory to produce insights into one of the most complex political systems in the Middle East region than many other recent works on the subject. This book will be of interest to both social theorists and Middle East Scholars." John D. Stempel, Director The Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, University of Kentucky
Download or read book Contentious Politics in the Middle East written by Fawaz A. Gerges and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-04-29 with total page 566 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Democracy s Fourth Wave written by Philip N. Howard and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-04-04 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Export of Democracy to the Arab World written by Franco Burgio and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2008-08-29 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essay from the year 2007 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Miscellaneous, grade: 18/20, Vrije University Brussel (Universit Libre de Bruxelles), course: Seminar, 50 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Western Initiatives in the last years and especially in the aftermath of 11 September 2001 multiplied and intensified (e.g. the U.S. proposal of a Greater Middle East Initiative, Barcelona Process by the EU) in order to bring democracy to a region which by any definition has the Arab World at its core and which in comparison to Eastern Europe and Latin America seems reluctant to follow the common trend of establishing representative democracies as form of government. Besides the "exportation" efforts also internal Arab political discourse generally endows democracies with a virtually talismanic quality capable of solving all outstanding problems, as Al-Azmeh rightly points out. The Arab Word is stretching from Morocco in the west to Oman in the east including a variety of different state structures (small city states like Kuwait, large states like Libya, extremely rich and extremely poor regions)3 and is populated by heterogeneous ethnic groups (large Berber minorities in the Mahgreb and Kurdish, Turkic and Armenian minorities in the Mashreq). However big the differences may be two common nominators can doubtless be identified: Islam and a democracy deficit . The questions arising are obvious. Is the message of the prophet responsible that no stabile democratic government is in sight in the Arab World ? Is the deficit in democratic ruling indeed a cultural and religious problem ? Is the Koran compatible with the concepts of democracy ?
