The Political Science of the Middle East : Theory and Research Since the Arab Uprisings

A definitive overview of what political scientists are working on within the Middle East and North Africa. The Arab Uprisings of 2011-12 catalyzed a new wave of rigorous, deeply informed research on the politics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In The Political Science of the Middle East , Marc Lynch, Jillian Schwedler, and Sean Yom present the definitive overview of this pathbreaking turn. This is a monumental stocktaking organized around a singular theme: new theorizing from the MENA has advanced the frontiers of comparative politics and international relations, and the close-range study of the region occupies a core place in mainstream political science. Its dozen chapters cover an exhaustive array of topics, including authoritarianism and democracy, contentious politics, regional security, military institutions, conflict and violence, the political economy of development, Islamist movements, identity and sectarianism, public opinion, migration, and local politics. For each of these topics, leading MENA experts and specialists highlight innovative concepts, vibrant debates, diverse methodologies, and unexpected findings. The result is an indispensable research primer, one that stands as a generational statement from a regional subfield. Introduction : a project for Middle East political science-research agendas for a maturing field / Marc Lynch -- Authoritarianism reconfigured : evolving forms of political control / André Bank, Eva Bellin, Michael Herb, Lisa Wedeen, Sean Yom, and Saloua Zerhouni -- Between two uprisings : the study of protest in the Middle East, 2010-2020 / Nermin Allam, Chantal Berman, Killian Clarke, and Jillian Schwedler -- International relations and regional (in)security / May Darwich, F. Gregory Gause III, Waleed Hazbun, Curtis Ryan, and Morten Valbjørn -- Militaries, militias, and violence / Holger Albrecht, Kevin Koehler, Devorah Manekin, and Ora Szekely -- Political economy and development / Ferdinand Eibl, Shimaa Hatab, and Steffen Hertog -- Islam and Islamism / Tarek Masoud, Khalil al-Anani, Steven Brooke, Courtney Freer, and R. Quinn Mecham -- The politics of identity and sectarianism / Fanar Haddad, Lisel Hintz, Rima Majed, Toby Matthiesen, Bassel F. Salloukh, and Alexandra Siegel -- Public opinion / Lindsay J. Benstead, Justin Gengler, and Michael Robbins -- Migration and displacement / Rawan Arar, Laurie Brand, Rana B. Khoury, Noora Lori, Lama Mourad, and Wendy Pearlman -- Towards a relational approach to local politics / Janine A. Clark, Sarah El-Kazaz, Mona Harb, and Lana Salman -- Triumph over adversity : reflections on the practice of Middle East political science / Lisa Anderson A definitive overview of what political scientists are working on within the Middle East and North Africa.The Arab Uprisings of 2011-12 catalyzed a new wave of rigorous, deeply informed research on the politics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In The Political Science of the Middle East, Marc Lynch, Jillian Schwedler, and Sean Yom present the definitive overview of this pathbreaking turn. This is a monumental stocktaking organized around a singular theme: new theorizing from the MENA has advanced the frontiers of comparative politics and international relations, and the close-range study of the region occupies a core place in mainstream political science. Its dozen chapters cover an exhaustive array of topics, including authoritarianism and democracy, contentious politics, regional security, military institutions, conflict and violence, the political economy of development, Islamist movements, identity and sectarianism, public opinion, migration, and local politics. For each of these topics, leading MENA experts and specialists highlight innovative concepts, vibrant debates, diverse methodologies, and unexpected findings. The result is an indispensable research primer, one that stands as a generational statement from a regional subfield. "This book is a generational stocktaking over the contemporary state of political science research on the Middle East and North Africa. It presents the major theoretical developments that have unfolded since the Arab uprisings in 2011-12, while highlighting the critical knowledge and fruitful literatures that regional experts have contributed back to mainstream political science. It features nearly 50 regional specialists, whose twelve chapters tackle the prevailing themes that gird the contemporary study of Middle East politics. Among the many topics touched upon are authoritarianism and democracy, contentious politics, international relations, regional security, military institutions, conflict and violence, political economy, economic development, religion, Islamist movements, social identity, sectarian politics, public opinion, migration and refugees, and local politics and governance. Each chapter reviews key debates and pathbreaking findings, while presenting highly curated references that illustrate the breadth and depth of ongoing research agendas"-- Provided by publisher This book is a generational stocktaking over the contemporary state of political science research on the Middle East and North Africa. It presents the major theoretical developments that have unfolded since the Arab uprisings in 2011–12, while highlighting the critical knowledge and fruitful literatures that regional experts have contributed to mainstream political science. It features nearly fifty regional specialists, whose twelve chapters tackle the prevailing themes that gird the contemporary study of Middle East politics. Among the many topics touched upon are authoritarianism and democracy, contentious politics, international relations, regional security, military institutions, conflict and violence, political economy, economic development, religion, Islamist movements, social identity, sectarian politics, public opinion, migration and refugees, and local politics and governance. Each chapter reviews key debates and pathbreaking findings, while presenting highly curated references that illustrate the breadth and depth of ongoing research agendas. In 'The Political Science of the Middle East', Marc Lynch, Jillian Schwedler, and Sean Yom have developed a definitive, state-of-the-art overview of research on the topic. Collectively, a group of the world's leading experts and scholars of the Middle East summarize the breadth of political science research in the Middle East. They present major theoretical developments since the Arab uprisings, while giving an review of key debates and pathbreaking findings in contemporary political science research in the Middle East and North Africa