Educational Transitions in Post-Revolutionary Spaces : Islam, Security, and Social Movements in Tunisia

Educational Transitions in Post-Revolutionary Spaces explores the transformation of the education system in Tunisia following the Jasmine Revolution, the first of a wave of revolutions known as the Arab Spring. The authors provide a detailed account of how Tunisia's robust education system shaped and sparked the conflict as educated youth became disgruntled with their economic conditions. Exploring themes such as radicalization, gender, activism and social media, the chapters map out the steps occurring during transitions from authoritarian rule to democracy. Educational Transitions in Post-Revolutionary Spaces traces the origins of the conflict and revolution in societal issues, including unemployment, inequality and poverty, and explores how Islam and security influenced the transition. The book not only offers a thorough understanding of the role of youth in the revolution and how they were shaped by Tunisia's educational system. Crucially, it provides a comprehensive understating of theoretical and methodological insights needed to study educational transitions in other post-revolutionary contexts. Review Jules and Barton provide a unique and insightful analysis of the role of education in social revolutions and the Arab Spring, exploring the unique intersections of religion, gender and politics. This volume extends our understanding of education and social change with its rich and multifaceted analysis. * Robin Shields, Senior Lecturer in Higher Education Management, University of Bath, UK * Policy streams, imaginative regimes of hope, despair and resistance, research beyond the ubiquitous methodological nationalism that continues to dominate contextualized studies in education. These are some of the urgent and intriguing aspects of this timely book that will serve as an important contribution to understanding the current situation confronting youth and education as well as education research itself. * Stephen Carney, Associate Professor of Comparative Education, Roskilde University, Denmark * Using a comparative-historical lens, Educational Transitions in Post-Revolutionary Spaces takes us through a fascinating journey of Tunisia's 3000 years of state-run education under different authoritarian regimes. It convincingly argues that education played a critical role in mobilizing youth for political action and explains the complex trajectories that led young Tunisian revolutionaries to the streets to peacefully topple the Ben Ali regime. This is an entirely compelling and timely book. * Iveta Silova, Professor and Director of the Center for the Advanced Studies in Global Education, Arizona State University, USA * About the Author Tavis D. Jules is Assistant Professor of Cultural and Educational Policy Studies at Loyola University Chicago, USA. He is the author of Neither World Polity nor Local or National Societies (2012). Teresa Barton is a researcher in the Cultural and Educational Policy Studies program at Loyola University Chicago, USA. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Lists of Tables and Figures Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Map of Tunisia 1 The Tunisian Paradox and Authoritarian Bargaining Mapping the Methodological Terrain—Narrative Comparisons and Comparative-historical Analysis Al-sahwa and the Liberation Caravan: The Uneducated Martyr An Overview of the Retrospective: Negotiating the Transition Between the Old and the New 2 Theoretical Insights on Educational Transitologies . . . From Studying, (Re)framing, and (Re)building Educational Transitologies Concluding Thoughts—Studying Post-revolutionary Settings 3 The Birth of the Tunisian Republic, Colonialism, and Educational Expansion Berber Carthage: The “Free People” Phoenician Carthage: Forging a New City Roman Carthage: The Romans are Coming Vandal Carthage: Education in Africa Proconsularis Byzantine Carthage: Education in the “New” Eastern Roman Empire The Early Islamic Period: Education in the Caliphate The Medieval Islamic Period The Modern Islamic Period The Modern Period: French Protectorate Rule and Post-Independence Reforms Concluding Thoughts—Marching Toward Independence and Dictatorial Transition 4 Post-Colonialism and the Tale of Two Dictators 1956: The Education Revolution and the Road Toward the Decade of Al-Mesaâdi 1960–1970: Socialism, Collectivism, and Cooperatives 1970–1980: From Socialism and Cooperatives to State Capitalism 1980–1987: From Bread Riots to a Medical Coup d‘état The Soft Landing: Not too “French,” not too “Arabic,” just “Tunisified ” The 1991 “Grand Education Reforms”: Les Lois de Mohamed Charfi and the Neo-corporatist State The 2002-Education Reforms: The Rouissi Plan, The School of Tomorrow, and Social Liberalism Building the School of Tomorrow into the Tunisia of Tomorrow A Word on Early Childhood Education Concluding Thoughts—The Curtain Falls on Tunisification 5 Higher Education and the Labor Market Information System Tunisian Labor Market Dynamics Historicizing Higher Education Higher Education under the Dynastic Empires of Ifriqiya The 1958-Education Reforms and the Tunisification of Higher Education The 1987-Education Reforms: Infrastructural Expansionism to Alleviate Unemployment The 1991-Education Reforms: Striving for Everything Under the Sun ICT and Higher Education The 2008-Education Reforms and the Commencement of the Licence–Maîtrise–Doctorat (LMD) System The Constant Pestilence: The Youth Bulge and Labor Market Dynamics Concluding Thoughts—The Return of Religious Education 6 State Feminism and Le Code du Statut Personnel State Feminism and Gender Relations Historicizing Gender Relations Bourguibaism and the New Feminist Movement The Rise of State Feminism and Le Pacte National Les Femmes and al-Shawa Reframing Women’s Rights in the Constitution Concluding Thoughts—Le Code du Statut Personnel Endures 7 Freedom, Social Media, and Activism Activism under the French Protectorate Activism, Militantism, and Bourguibaism: When the Activist becomes the Antagonist Ben Ali and the Road to al-Sahwa Unrest and the Rise of New Media Wikileaks and the Unraveling of Authoritarian Bargaining Laying the Foundation: Gafsa’s al-Sahwa al-Sahwa and Activism Activism after Authoritarianism: The Democratic Agreement Activism under the New “Democratic” Constitution Concluding Thoughts—A Nobel Peace Prize 8 The End of Authoritarian Bargaining Agreements and the Rise of Homegrown Militantism Governing through the Troika and Educational Politics Early Childhood Care after al-Sahwa Primary and Secondary Education after al-Shawa Higher Education after al-Sahwa The Rise of the Educated Militant in the Jihad Factory The Perks of Being Educated, Militant, and Amenable to Radicalization Revanchism and the Newly Radicalized Tunisian Youth Something Old, Something Transitionary, Something Democratic Notes References Index "Educational Transitions in Post-Revolutionary Spaces explores the transformation of the education system in Tunisia following the Jasmine Revolution, the first of a wave of revolutions known as the Arab Spring. The authors provide a detailed account of how Tunisia's robust education system shaped and sparked the conflict as educated youth became disgruntled with their economic conditions. Exploring themes such as radicalization, gender, activism, and social media, the chapters map out the steps occurring during transitions from authoritarian rule to democracy. Educational Transitions in Post-Revolutionary Spaces traces the origins of the conflict and revolution in societal issues, including unemployment, inequality, and poverty, and explores how Islam and security influenced the transition. The book not only offers a thorough understanding of the role of youth in the revolution and how it was shaped by Tunisia's educational system; crucially, it provides a comprehensive understanding of the theoretical and methodological insights needed to study educational transitions in other post-revolutionary contexts."--Bloomsbury Publishing.