Arab Revolutions and Social Movements

Graduate Level

Sami Hermez, PhD, Anthropology

In this course, students will study the 2011 Arab revolutions as politics in process, and consider the factors that led to the current uprisings as well as the path that each continues to take. During the course, we will pay particular attention to the issues, conflicts and questions people face everyday in volatile times. Was this a media-inspired revolution? What are the class and sectarian dynamics of the Arab Spring? How can we begin to think critically about gender issues in the region? What are the specificities of each revolt? As the events are ongoing and unfolding, this course needs to remain flexible so as to react and respond to the most current events. Therefore, the course will largely be driven by student research that will be the basis for class discussions.