Popular Politics in the Making of the Modern Middle East

A ground-breaking account of popular protest in the Middle East and North Africa from the eighteenth century to the present.

John Chalcraft (Author)

9780521189422, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 22 March 2016

606 pages, 2 maps
22.8 x 15.3 x 3.2 cm, 0.88 kg

'Although other scholars have studied the role of mass mobilization and street politics in the Middle East, the sheer breadth of this ambitious study sets it apart as an outstanding contribution to the understanding of political upheaval that has engulfed the region for more than a century. Analytically rich and theoretically informed, this book is a major contribution to the literature on Middle Eastern studies … Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.' M. Dorraj, Choice

The waves of protest ignited by the self-immolation of Muhammad Bouazizi in Tunisia in late 2010 highlighted for an international audience the importance of contentious politics in the Middle East and North Africa. John Chalcraft's ground-breaking account of popular protest emphasizes the revolutionary modern history of the entire region. Challenging top-down views of Middle Eastern politics, he looks at how commoners, subjects and citizens have long mobilised in defiance of authorities. Chalcraft takes examples from a wide variety of protest movements from Morocco to Iran. He forges a new narrative of change over time, creating a truly comparative framework rooted in the dynamics of hegemonic contestation. Beginning with movements under the Ottomans, which challenged corruption and oppression under the banners of religion, justice, rights and custom, this book goes on to discuss the impact of constitutional movements, armed struggles, nationalism and independence, revolution and Islamism. A work of unprecedented range and depth, this volume will be welcomed by undergraduates and graduates studying protest in the region and beyond.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part I. Millenarianism, Renewal, Justice, Rights and Reform, 1798–1914
Part II. Patriotism, Liberalism, Armed Struggle, and Ideology, 1914–52
Part III. National Independence, Guerrilla War, and Social Revolution, 1952–76
Part IV. Islamism, Revolution, Uprisings, and Liberalism, 1977–2011
Conclusion
Citations.

Subject Areas: Demonstrations & protest movements [JPWF], Comparative politics [JPB], 21st century history: from c 2000 - [HBLX], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1]