Aufbauseminar Political Society and State in the Middle East

People Movements and State Authority in the Middle East The region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is witnessing a new level of turmoil and violent extremism. In the post--Arab Spring” context, militant non-state actors are challenging central governments and putting the territorial integrity of numerous countries in question. National contexts like the ones in Syria, Libya or Yemen have turned into regional or even global proxy wars. Other contexts like Egypt or Tunisia are going through complex transitional phases. How can we make sense of all these transformations and transition processes? What are the key differences and similarities, and what kind of changes can we expect? In order to discuss prospects of social and political change in the Middle East it is of key importance to identify actors pushing for change, and actors determined to maintain the status quo. It is the aim of this seminar to highlight interfaces between state and society. We will explore core aspects of people movements through the lens of Social Movement Theory and Pierre Bourdieu’s ‘Theory of Practice’ and look in fields such as economy, security, welfare, culture religion and sports to see how state authority and societal influence are intertwined. At the end of the term we should be able to identify different loci of power and political influence. Sozialwissenschaften (BA, PO 2005) Course requirements: (1) News round-up: In order to practice techniques of news research, groups of students (2-3) are asked to prepare a round-up of three deliberately selected news items in which relevant and interesting developments and events of the region are discussed. The selected stories are then to be presented to the seminar followed by a brief discussion. This news round-up will open each week’s session and take a maximum of 15 to 20 minutes. (2) Reading Papers: Students are expected to prepare SIX one-page summaries of the assigned reading item. These papers do not require a specific structure and can also be written in bullet points. It is the explicit task to summarize the most important facts of a text on one sheet. Theses papers should be handed in on the evening before the respective session. Universität Düsseldorf WiSe 2016/17 Tabatabai Adnan