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Arab Spring pp 173–204Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Arab Spring and the Issue of Democracy: Where Does Middle Eastern Studies Stand?

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Part of the book series: Critical Political Theory and Radical Practice ((CPTRP))

Abstract

The main aim of this chapter is to explore the broadly defined academic status of Middle Eastern studies on the issue of democracy and transition in the region. In this context, the author conducts a critical survey of academic studies from 1989 to 2017 on the topics of democracy and authoritarianism by using interpretative content analysis. The survey offers a glimpse at how the field of Middle Eastern studies has changed its perspective on Arab democracy over three comparative periods: prior to 2011, between 2011 and 2013, and after 2013. The analysis will serve to answer the main question: “Where does Middle Eastern studies stand on the issue of democracy in the region?”

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Notes

  1. 1.

    James Drisko and Tina Maschi, Content Analysis, 73.

  2. 2.

    This division is made to illustrate the differences between studies that were conducted before 2001 and after, as September 11 was a turning point in Middle Eastern studies with increased focus given to the region both academically and politically.

  3. 3.

    Thomas Caruthers and Marina Ottaway, Uncharted Journey: Promoting Democracy in the Middle East (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2005), 254.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    Ahmed Abd Rabou

Authors
  1. Ahmed Abd Rabou
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Correspondence to Ahmed Abd Rabou .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Doha, Qatar

    Eid Mohamed

  2. University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada

    Eid Mohamed

  3. Department of Political Science, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Dalia Fahmy

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Abd Rabou, A. (2020). Arab Spring and the Issue of Democracy: Where Does Middle Eastern Studies Stand?. In: Mohamed, E., Fahmy, D. (eds) Arab Spring. Critical Political Theory and Radical Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24758-4_10

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