Civil Society in Yemen
The Political Economy of Activism in Modern Arabia

A study of the political culture in Arabia which challenges the stereotypical view of traditional Arab society.

Sheila Carapico (Author)

9780521034821, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 18 January 2007

276 pages, 1 map 13 tables
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.416 kg

"Civil Society in Yemen addresses a very interesting topic and offers an insightful analysis. The book deserves wide citculation, especially in the post-9/11 era when understanding civil society and related dynamics in different cultures has become more of a necessity." Voluntas

Sheila Carapico's book on civic participation in modern Yemen makes an authoritative contribution to the study of political culture in the Arabian peninsula. Relying on in-depth documentary and field research, the author traces the political dynamics of recent years, culminating in Yemeni unification, focuses on efforts to develop the political, economic and social structures of a modern, democratic government. Her wide-ranging analysis of the legal, institutional and financial aspects of state building and of popular dimensions of political liberalization, protest and participation challenge the stereotypical view of conservative Arab Muslim society. The political economy approach to the study which reveals a surprising degree of 'activism in Arabia' also helps to interpret the nature of civil society from a broad theoretical perspective. This is an important book which promises to become the definitive work on twentieth-century Yemen.

List of tables
Preface and acknowledgements
Note on transliteration and terminology
List of abbreviations
Map
1. Civil society in comparative perspective
2. Twentieth-century states and economies
3. Islam, tribes and social services
4. Colonialism, activism and resistance
5. Self-help, social capital and state power
6. Unity, pluralism and political participation
7. Civic responses to political crisis
8. Political movements, cultural trends and civic potential
Endnotes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Civil rights & citizenship [JPVH1]