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Sociology Colloquium, 11/11/2020

The Revolutionary Upheaval in the Middle East and North AfricaGilbert Achcar

Dr. Gilbert Achcar, London School of Oriental and African Studies

Ten years will soon have passed since the Arab Spring started in Tunisia in December 2010 before spreading like wildfire to the whole MENA region, with major uprisings in five other countries in 2011. Three years later, it looked however as if the spring had turned into winter and regional revolutionary prospects were drowned in counter-revolutionary backlashes and/or civil wars. And yet, December 2018 saw the beginning of a new revolutionary upsurge that started in Sudan and spread to three other countries in 2019, before being stifled by the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, the second wave was a powerful confirmation of the view that what started ten years ago was deeply rooted in a structural crisis affecting the region’s economic, social, and political features. It also confirmed therefore the view that the 2011 Arab Spring was but the beginning of a long-term revolutionary process that will inevitably carry on through successive phases of upsurge and backlash, and will not give way to a new long-term stabilization short of radical structural change.

November 11, 2020
Wednesday, 12–1:30pm
Zoom session
Meeting ID: 955 1955 9711
Passcode: 514966

If you cannot join with video, you can connect to the Zoom session via phone: 1–346–248–7799