Georgetown University LogoGeorgetown University Library LogoDigitalGeorgetown Home
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   DigitalGeorgetown Home
    • Georgetown University Institutional Repository
    • Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
    • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
    • Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
    • View Item
    •   DigitalGeorgetown Home
    • Georgetown University Institutional Repository
    • Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
    • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
    • Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    The People Want to Topple the System: An Alternative Narrative of the Arab Uprisings

    Cover for The People Want to Topple the System: An Alternative Narrative of the Arab Uprisings
    View/Open
    View/Open: Mousa_georgetown_0076M_12687.pdf (1.9MB) Bookview

    Creator
    Mousa, Sarah
    Advisor
    Davis, Rochelle
    Abstract
    Since the toppling of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a one-dimensional narrative of the Arab Uprisings has become axiomatic in both foreign and Arab spheres. The mainstream narrative paints the movement as one for Western-style democracy and discursively associated economic neoliberalism. This account of the Uprisings not only obfuscates but also undermines the story that was put forth by activists themselves and that resonated so widely with diverse sectors of Arab populations. My thesis explores a narrative of the Arab Uprisings as put forth by activists. It presents and analyzes three demonstrations from Tunisia and Egypt to illustrate how, through their contentious performances, Arab activists attempt to challenge a system of imperial continuity--a centuries-old pattern of political, economic and social relations between foreign actors and the Arab people, and between Arab political elite and populations as a whole. Given the reach and history of this political system, such resistance is not easy. Nor is it straightforward; resistance to such a layered and variegated power formation must be relational. The Arab Uprisings present a dynamic by which actors revolted against local forms of oppression but also consistently reached for repertoires that were regional (rather than purely local) and drew upon networks and strategies that were Arab (rather than merely national). This indicates our need for a more nuanced narrative of how the Uprisings of 2011 constituted an event of Arab history.
    Description
    M.A.
    Permanent Link
    http://hdl.handle.net/10822/709721
    Date Published
    2014
    Subject
    Middle East; Research; Near Eastern studies;
    Type
    thesis
    Embargo Lift Date
    2015-02-14
    Publisher
    Georgetown University
    Extent
    114 leaves
    Collections
    • Center for Contemporary Arab Studies
    Metadata
    Show full item record

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Cover for THE ARAB UPRISINGS AND THE UNVEILING OF THE SHIITE CRESCENT

      THE ARAB UPRISINGS AND THE UNVEILING OF THE SHIITE CRESCENT 

      Corro, Megan Catherine (Georgetown University, 2013)
      The Arab uprisings which began in December of 2010 in Tunisia are until today making history. These uprisings forever changed the Middle East by deposing longstanding dictators in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya. As Sunni ...
    Related Items in Google Scholar

    Georgetown University Seal
    ©2009 - 2023 Georgetown University Library
    37th & O Streets NW
    Washington DC 20057-1174
    202.687.7385
    digitalscholarship@georgetown.edu
    Accessibility
     

     

    Browse

    All of DigitalGeorgetownCommunities & CollectionsCreatorsTitlesBy Creation DateThis CollectionCreatorsTitlesBy Creation Date

    My Account

    Login

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Georgetown University Seal
    ©2009 - 2023 Georgetown University Library
    37th & O Streets NW
    Washington DC 20057-1174
    202.687.7385
    digitalscholarship@georgetown.edu
    Accessibility