Abdelwahab El-Affendi – författare

Populism has had a transformative impact on the global political landscape, but is it invigorating and restoring modern democratic politics, or is it destroying it? This landmark study explores this question from cross-continental perspectives, with contributions from leading scholars including Chantal Mouffe, Azmi Bishara and Hamid Dabashi, engaging in this lively, multiregional and multi-disciplinary debate.Featuring a broad conversation on the rising and fast changing impact of populism on world politics, this volume tackles one of the most pressing and stimulating political and philosophical questions of our time.

This book brings together experienced scholars from the region and beyond to cast new light on the challenges facing democratic transitions and democratic stability. Rather than taking refuge in 'context' and 'regional specificity' to excuse failures to unpack Arab politics, the book argues that sound political science should - and could - prove relevant across regions and cultures. This radical critique reclaims and recasts the 'Transition Paradigm', countering the habit of using advanced and successful democratic transitions as a template to be followed in other regions. It argues that the Arab (and broader Middle Eastern) experience has important lessons to offer, even in its failures. For example, it could help to explain the West's recent populist upsurge and other democratic reversals.

Incorporates the lessons learned from the 2011 Arab revolutions into democratic transition theoryRadically reclaims and reformulates democratic transition theory, taking the Middle East and not the West as its focal point Argues that recent Arab transitions are central to our understanding of the dynamics of democratisation, even in advanced democraciesFeatures contributions from prominent authors and intellectuals such as Azmi Bishara, Hamid Dabashi and Asef BayatAfter the Arab Revolutions brings together experienced scholars from the region and beyond to cast new light on the challenges facing democratic transitions and democratic stability. Rather than taking refuge in 'context' and 'regional specificity' to excuse failures to unpack Arab politics, the book argues that sound political science should and could prove relevant across regions and cultures.This radical critique reclaims and recasts the 'Transition Paradigm', countering the habit of using advanced and successful democratic transitions as a template to be followed in other regions. It argues that the Arab (and broader Middle Eastern) experience has important lessons to offer, even in its failures. For example, it could help to explain the West's recent populist upsurge and other democratic reversals. Find out moreWatch Abdelwahab El-Affendi discuss the book on "Standing the Democratic Transition Paradigm on its Head: New Reflections after the Arab Revolutions" via the Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge [Youtube]"

This book offers a novel and productive explanation of why ‘ordinary’ people can be moved to engage in destructive mass violence (or terrorism and the abuse of rights), often in large numbers and in unexpected ways. Its argument is that narratives of insecurity (powerful horror stories people tell and believe about their world and others) can easily make extreme acts appear acceptable, even necessary and heroic. As in action or horror movies, the script dictates how the ‘hero’ acts. The book provides theoretical justifications for this analysis, building on earlier studies but going beyond them in what amount to a breakthrough in mapping the context of mass violence. It backs its argument with a large number of case studies covering four continents, written by prominent scholars from the relevant countries or with deep knowledge of them. A substantial introduction by the UN’s Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide demonstrates the policy relevance of this path-breaking work.