CFP: After the Uprisings: Political, Economic, and Social Transformations in the Middle East and North Africa

Call for Abstracts

After the Uprisings: Political, Economic, and Social Transformations in the Middle East and North Africa

31 May 2016 – Edinburgh
Deadline for submissions: 29 February 2016

The Call For Papers is available to view here: http://www.arabtrans.eu/edinburgh-conference-2016/ Please send an abstract (max. 300 words) to p01kv4@abdn.ac.uk.

 

Important Dates

Paper titles and abstracts dueFebruary 29, 2016

Notification of acceptanceMarch 18, 2016

ConferenceMay 31, 2016

 

Overview

Since December 2010, the Arab World has been undergoing a historical process of rapid and deep change in its political and social structures. Papers analysing any aspect of these transformations from any relevant field are welcome. The remit of the workshop is to bring together different perspectives on the changes that have taken place in the Middle East post-Uprisings, from diverse theoretical and disciplinary traditions.

The ArabTransitions project, headed by the University of Aberdeen, is organising a one-day conference in May 2016 to be held in Edinburgh as the culmination of a three year international research project on political and social transformations in the Arab world. Funded within the FP7 program of the European Commission, the project uses survey-based research to explore comparatively the beliefs, values, and behaviour with respect to political and social transformations in seven Arab countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq).

The conference is open to academics, activists, trade unionists, practitioners, policy-makers, and NGOs who are engaged in research, advocacy, campaigns, and movements in the Arab world. Due to the inter- and trans-disciplinary nature of the project, contributions from a variety of academic disciplines, such as history, economics, political science, international relations, public policy, geography, philosophy, and sociology are highly encouraged.

 

Topics

 

  • Key political, social, and economic transformations in the MENA region: major changes, their significance, and their implications for theoretical frameworks, analytical methods, as well as policy implications for stakeholders (governments. NGOs, IOs, etc.).
  • National and regional trends: homogeneities and heterogeneities among MENA countries (pathways of socio-economic and political transformation, possible future trajectories).
  • Roots of the Uprisings: long-term, structural factors and short-term triggers behind the upheaval in the Arab world.
  • The generational gap: the role of youth and ICTs before, during, and after the Uprisings.
  • Religion and political culture:  the way the Uprisings and subsequent events affected Islamist movements and the relationship between politics and religion generally
  • Europe and the Arab Uprisings: impact of the recent turmoil upon the role of EU relations.

 

Registration fees

The Conference registration fee is £45 (covering all conference materials, coffee breaks and lunch) and a limited number of bursaries is available for unfunded students and unwaged. Instructions for conference registration will follow.

Further enquiries may be directed to the conference organizers Dr Ilia Xypolia at:ilia.xypolia@abdn.ac.uk  and Dr Vera Lomazzi at vera.lomazzi@abdn.ac.uk