New Arab Revolutions That Shook the World

Farhad Khosrokhavar is Professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris. He is the author of The New Arab Revolutions that Shook the World (Paradigm, 2012) and Suicide Bombers (Pluto, 2005).

“This remarkable book presents an original, in-depth approach to the Arab Spring. It shows how it is embedded in social and generational changes that have transformed Arab societies—and makes impossible a return to the previous brand of authoritarian regimes, whether secular or Islamist. The book provides new insights on the impact of the Arab Spring in a regional strategic context.” —Olivier Roy, Professor at the Robert Schuman Center for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Italy “Khosrokhavar’s thinking is profound, his writing nuanced, and his research panoptic. The New Arab Revolutions will become the authoritative account of the Arab Spring.” —Jeffrey C. Alexander, Yale University, author of Performative Revolution in Egypt: An essay in Cultural Power “An exceptional book. Precise and wonderfully documented, it will become a key reference for those who want to understand what is at stake in the ‘New Arab Revolutions’ and, more generally, for those who want to understand other important transitions in the contemporary world.” —Michel Wieviorka, Professor at the École des hautes etudes en sciences sociales, Paris Universitas

• Introduction; Part I Unexpected Demo-Movements in the Middle East and North Africa and Their Dynamics; Chapter 1 The Iranian Green Movement; Chapter 2 The Tunisian Revolution of Dignity and Freedom; Chapter 3 Egypt’s Revolution; Chapter 4 The Arab Spring through Historical Precedents in Other Countries; Part II The Would-Be Middle Class as the Subjective Foundation of the Arab Spring; Chapter 5 The “Would-Be Middle Class”; Chapter 6 Characteristics of the Demo-Movements; Chapter 7 Obstacles to Democracy; Part III The New Social Actors; Chapter 8 Social and State Actors and New Technologies; Chapter 9 The New Social Actor and Demographics; Chapter 10 Types of Activists, Old and New; Chapter 11 The Symbolic Dimensions of the Arab Spring; Chapter 12 The Geopolitical Actors; conclusion Conclusion;