Conference & Call for Papers

17th Dec 2020 12:00 - 18th Dec 2020 12:00

Location: Online

CALL FOR PAPERS: 10 Years On: The People and the Protests

 December 17-18 2020

 

On 17th December 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor, self-immolated, triggering a wave of protests that spread across North Africa and the Middle East in what became known as the Arab Uprisings. The ensuing protests led to the toppling of rulers in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and Libya, and opened new spaces of popular contestation, dramatically shaking relations between rulers and ruled and the very foundations of states across the region. 

 While counter revolutionary processes aided regime survival in Bahrain and Syria, the memory of protests continues to resonate amongst those challenging Assad and Al Khalifa rule. In the years that followed, protests also broke out across Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, Turkey, Algeria and Iran, prompting some to refer to an ‘Arab Spring 2.0’ but which is perhaps best viewed as an on-going struggle for people to meet their basic needs and assert basic rights amidst often precarious conditions and the entrenchment of authoritarian rule.

 As we approach the 10th anniversary of Bouazizi’s death, this SEPAD online conference reflects on the legacy of Bouazizi’s act and the ensuing struggles that followed. We seek to reflect on the ways in which the uprisings have affected people and political projects across the Middle East and North Africa. We are especially interested in papers that reflect on the following topics:

·      Popular protests

·      Relations between rulers and ruled 

·      Resistance

·      Gender and sexuality

·      Sovereign power (and its discontents)

·      Spatial ordering 

·      Clientelism

·      Sectarianism 

·      De-sectarianisation 

·      Political economy

·      Power sharing (consociationalism)

·      Urban politics

·      Environmentalism

·      Foreign policy making

·      Regional ordering and ‘the second image reversed’

 Although not discouraging applications from those wishing to focus more on structural factors, we are keen to encourage a reflection on the ways in which these forces shape the lives of people, from Morocco to Iran; royal courts to refugee camps. We especially welcome abstracts from early career scholars and scholars based in the region. Selected papers may be considered for publication.

Please submit abstracts of no more than 250 words, including a title,  five key words and institutional affiliation to s.nasirzadeh@lancaster.ac.uk by 30th September 2020.

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