The Dawn of the Arab Uprisings: End of an Old Order?

The Dawn of the Arab Uprisings sheds light on the historical context and initial impact of the mass uprisings that have shaken the Arab world since December 2010. The volume documents the first nine months of the Arab uprisings and explains the backgrounds and trajectories of these popular movements and regime strategies to contain them. It provides critical analysis and at times first-hand accounts of events that have received little or superficial coverage in Western and Arab media alike. While the book focuses on those states that have been most affected by the uprisings, inlcuding Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, and Syria, it also covers the impact on Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq.

As the initial phase of the uprisings subsides, counter-revolution sets in, and grand narratives crystallize, it is important to take note of the diversity of reactions that emanated from activists, scholars, and others as the uprisings were first unfolding. In this sense, the volume archives the realm of possibilities, both imaginative and practical, optimistic and pessimistic, that were opened up as people sought to make sense of the rapidly unfolding events.

The volume features a Forward by Roger Owen, an Introduction by the editors, and an Epilogue by Madawi al-Rasheed. The bulk of the volume is divided into three sets of sections. The first section contains theoretical, conceptual , and comparative chapters. The next set of sections (each with an introduction) contain chapters on Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, and Syria. The third section (with an introduction) is entitled "Regional Reverberations," and features chapters on Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon. The authors, many of whom live in the countries affected, provide unique understanding and first-hand accounts of events that have received superficial and partial coverage in Western and Arab media alike. The Dawn of the Arab Uprisings covers the full range of issues involved in these historic events, from political economy, to the role of social media, to international politics, gender, labor, and impact on culture, making this the ideal one-stop introduction to the events for the novice and specialist alike.