Popular Protest in the New Middle East: Islamism and Post-Islamist Politics

In the wake of the protests that spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa in late 2010 and early 2011, Islamist movements of varying political persuasions have risen to prominence. This is especially the case in post-Mubarak Egypt and post-Ben Ali Tunisia. Popular Protest in the New Middle East examines Islamist approaches to political participation and integration and asks whether regional trends can be discerned with respect to either the strategy of disparate movements or the challenges they face. It offers analysis of the ideologies and actions of these movements, ranging from countries where Islamism is in control of the state as an Islamic theocracy (Iran), the ruling party (for example, Turkey), part of the ruling coalition (Lebanon), or a parliamentary minority (such as in Jordan or Yemen). Are Knudsen and Basem Ezbidi's analysis of the various experiences of protest, participation and integration make this book vital for researchers of the impact of religion on politics (and, indeed vice versa).

About the Author

Are Knudsen is senior researcher at the Christian Michelsen Institute (CMI) in Bergen, Norway and holds a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Bergen. He is scientific coordinator for CMI's research collaboration with the Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy (Muwatin), and is the author of Violence and Belonging: Land, Love and Lethal Conflict in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan (2010). Basem Ezbidi teaches at the Department of Political Science at Birzeit University. He is the author of The Palestinian Political Culture (2003) and Hamas and Governance: Is Hamas Getting into the System or Rebelling Against It? (2010).