Popular Mobilizations and Populist Backlash: Perspectives on Political Change in the Middle East and North Africa

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Session Description

Popular mobilizations throughout the Middle East and North Africa have transformed the region and led to the ouster of entrenched oligarchs in several countries. Yet they have left unsettled many questions regarding who represents the people, and what this representation ought to look like. Leaders across the political spectrum, from Islamists to secular nationalists, have sought to enlist these new forces in their political projects. This panel offers a range of perspectives on the significance of popular mobilization in the region and how it relates to the rise of populist governments. Some of questions the panel hopes to address include: Does the rise of populist leaders signal a return to the past or a break from it? Is it economic or cultural claims that most animate these movements? How has the legacy of the Arab Spring been used by leaders in various countries to mobilize and demobilize social forces?

Sub Unit

• Theme Panel

Chair

• Andrew F. March University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Presenters

• Ellen M. Lust University of Gothenburg

• Tarek E. Masoud Harvard University

• Jillian M. Schwedler Hunter College

• Samer S. Shehata University of Oklahoma

• Cihan Tugal UC Berkeley