State of Research, Theoretical Assumptions, Methodology

Abstract

While ‘the West’, i.e. the NATO countries, was quick to intervene in Libya, the focus of public and scientific attention is still on other countries; in the context of German research, this is first and foremost Egypt. This may be because, as Professor Omar Kamil put it, in Germany, research on the Middle East has traditionally focused on Egypt, whereas Libya does not have a prominent place within the scientific tradition in Germany. As has been said before, the situation since 2011 has made it difficult for researchers to conduct fieldwork. During the time of Gaddafi’s rule, access to sources in Libya was also limited. A national archive did not exist, apart from an archive that dealt with the colonial past only. The government made an active effort to prevent social-scientific research (Schliephake 2011, p. 31).