Line Khatib is a fellow at the Center for Syrian Studies, the University of St Andrews. She was previously Associate Professor of Political Science at the American University of Sharjah. Her research and teaching interests lie within the fields of comparative politics, religion and politics, democratic transitions, and authoritarianism and liberalization in the Arab World. She is the author of Islamic Revivalism in Syria: The Rise and Fall of Ba´thist Secularism (2012) and has published book chapters and articles in Syria Studies, the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, and the Middle East Journal.

'Contesting common convictions that perceive Arab liberalism as an imported colonial legacy, Line Khatib presents a sophisticated analysis of liberal ideas and their transformation in Egypt and Syria. She resituates Arab liberalism in the understanding of historical scholarship, which is currently dominated by the clash between the autocratic Arab states and Islamism.' Wael Abu-'Uksa, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

• Introduction; 1. 19th-Mid 20th century: Paternalistic liberalism and planting the seeds of democracy; 2. 1960s to the 1990s: The loss of the state and the shift in focus and approach; 3. The 2000s: The no longer politically quiet and secret activism and the more visible buildup; 4. Liberalism out in the open, the restitution and the loss; Conclusion; Bibliography.

Line Khatib is a fellow at the Center for Syrian Studies, the University of St Andrews. She was previously Associate Professor of Political Science at the American University of Sharjah. Her research and teaching interests lie within the fields of comparative politics, religion and politics, democratic transitions, and authoritarianism and liberalization in the Arab World. She is the author of Islamic Revivalism in Syria: The Rise and Fall of Ba´thist Secularism (2012) and has published book chapters and articles in Syria Studies, the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, and the Middle East Journal.

'Contesting common convictions that perceive Arab liberalism as an imported colonial legacy, Line Khatib presents a sophisticated analysis of liberal ideas and their transformation in Egypt and Syria. She resituates Arab liberalism in the understanding of historical scholarship, which is currently dominated by the clash between the autocratic Arab states and Islamism.' Wael Abu-'Uksa, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

• Introduction; 1. 19th-Mid 20th century: Paternalistic liberalism and planting the seeds of democracy; 2. 1960s to the 1990s: The loss of the state and the shift in focus and approach; 3. The 2000s: The no longer politically quiet and secret activism and the more visible buildup; 4. Liberalism out in the open, the restitution and the loss; Conclusion; Bibliography.

Line Khatib is a fellow at the Center for Syrian Studies, the University of St Andrews. She was previously Associate Professor of Political Science at the American University of Sharjah. Her research and teaching interests lie within the fields of comparative politics, religion and politics, democratic transitions, and authoritarianism and liberalization in the Arab World. She is the author of Islamic Revivalism in Syria: The Rise and Fall of Ba´thist Secularism (2012) and has published book chapters and articles in Syria Studies, the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, and the Middle East Journal.

'Contesting common convictions that perceive Arab liberalism as an imported colonial legacy, Line Khatib presents a sophisticated analysis of liberal ideas and their transformation in Egypt and Syria. She resituates Arab liberalism in the understanding of historical scholarship, which is currently dominated by the clash between the autocratic Arab states and Islamism.' Wael Abu-'Uksa, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

• Introduction; 1. 19th-Mid 20th century: Paternalistic liberalism and planting the seeds of democracy; 2. 1960s to the 1990s: The loss of the state and the shift in focus and approach; 3. The 2000s: The no longer politically quiet and secret activism and the more visible buildup; 4. Liberalism out in the open, the restitution and the loss; Conclusion; Bibliography.