Arab Uprisings Research Initiative

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About

The Arab uprisings, which started in December 2010, will undoubtedly be one of the most studied episodes of recent history. Accordingly, the AUB Office of the Provost launched a long-term, multi-sectoral research initiative on the Arab uprisings, aiming to harness the university's many resources and assets to engage constructively with the historic changes taking place across the Arab world. The revolutionary and transformational processes underway were dynamic, defined by many ups and downs, in one of the most complex geo-political regions in the world. The challenges of researching and understanding this pivotal moment in history - its causes, main actors, critical dynamics, changed power relations, and likely consequences - demanded that critical research in multiple fields be defined by perspectives from across the region, and continue for years ahead rather than merely comprise an occasional conference or publication.

From 2011-2013, the Institute managed this AUB-wide initiative, launched in April 2011 with a five-member AUB faculty panel discussion moderated by the Provost. This was followed by a trip to the US by four faculty members and the AUB President, who held public events in half a dozen major east coast venues. The initiative identified over 20 AUB professors in different fields working on research projects related to the Arab uprisings and the transformations in society that they reflected, in fields such as political science, international affairs, psychology, youth attitudes and identities, public health, media studies, sociology, food and agriculture, civic engagement, democratization, economics, and others. A steering/advisory committee of 8 AUB professors, chaired by the Provost, oversaw this initiative.

Main Contact: Rayan El-Amine

Projects

Arab Public Policy Roundtable

The Institute conducted research on the perceptions and present discourse of the “civil state.” This research was done as part of the Arab Public Policy Roundtable, as a contribution to the American University of Beirut (AUB)'s wider research initiative on the Arab uprisings and part of the research being done at IFI on public policy in the Arab world.

The first roundtable session brought together Arab scholars and academics to identify some key elements of a “civil state.” In this context, the notion of “civil state” is not free from ambiguity. Yet, and in spite of disagreements among political actors and intellectuals, of different persuasions, there was convergence in recognizing the popular demand for a national, constitutional, democratic and modern state.

A second session on the civil state was organized, whereby a number of academics and researchers discussed the nature of the desired 'civil state' in light of current developments in the Arab World. Participants expressed their views of this newly emerging concept and analyzed its implications on three levels: the political process (elections, constitution drafting), freedom and human rights, and social equity.

The Arab Public Policy Roundtable aimed to be a space for discussion and forward looking reflection on the civil state. Starting from its attempt to clarify the terms of the public debate in the Arab world regarding the process of state reform and state building, the forum examined different practices in various Arab countries and their evolutions. It also conducted research and facilitated dialogue on the specific issues pertaining to the making of a “civil state” and, when possible, the formulation of policy orientations and/or proposals.

Read the summary of the first roundtable discussion that was organized on the 4th of September, 2012.

English | Arabic

Read the summary of the second roundtable discussion that was organized on the 21th of February, 2013. English | Arabic

Read the full publication of the Civil State آفاق الدولة المدنية بعد الانتفاضات العربية"

Events

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