Edward Elgar Publishing The Middle East in Transition: The Centrality of Citizenship

Product Description 'This work has come at an important time in the wake of the so-called Arab spring when the fluctuating patterns of state-citizen relations were rethought with varying success. Looking at citizenship in the region from multi-disciplinary and content related perspectives, this collection of essays discusses the variety of ways in which citizenship operates - and is thought about - in the contemporary Middle East and beyond. In looking at the contested dimensions of citizenship, this book is an important and timely work for anyone interested in the processes by which what it means to be a citizen is made and remade.' - Rachel M. Scott, Virginia Tech, US The Middle East is currently undergoing its most dramatic transition since World War I. The political order, both within individual countries and on the regional level, has been in turmoil ever since the Arab Uprisings in 2011. Analysts are struggling to identify conceptual frameworks that capture the complex nature of the developments that we observe. The Middle East in Transition demonstrates how citizenship understood as a social contract between citizens and the state is a key factor in current political crises in the region. The book analyzes three distinct dimensions of citizenship in the Middle East: the development of citizenship in specific countries, including Morocco, Israel Turkey and Iraq; Islam and the writings of twentieth-century Islamic thinkers; and the international dimension of citizenship, particularly regarding EU policies towards the region and the rights of Syrian refugees. This timely book provides a comprehensive insight into the current implications of the changing relationships between the citizen and the state in the Middle East. Discussing the topic with clarity and detail, it will be essential reading not only for researchers but also for policy makers and government officials. Contributors include: S. Ahmadou, Z. Alsabeehg, Z. Babar, S.I. Bergh, N.A. Butenschøn, L.C. Frost, B. Ince, M. Kanie, R. Meijer, V.M. Moghadam, Z. Pall, S. Saeidi, R.H. Santini, P. Seeberg, M.M. Shteiwi Review 'Citizenship is the vital missing link between rulers and ruled in the Middle East. Precisely because it has been inadequately developed in the region's constitutions, laws and practices, it has been afforded insufficient scholarly attention. This volume brilliantly addresses that deficiency by contextualizing Middle Eastern citizenship theoretically, historically, in contemporary socio-political and religious settings across the region, and as regards the Middle East's relationships with external actors. One of its general findings is that never having been adequately established, citizenship in the Middle East has come under renewed threat in the wake of the Arab uprisings of 2011. This impressive work merits wide readership.' --Robert Springborg, the Italian Institute of International Affairs, Italy 'This timely book makes a strong case for how our analyses of such critical issues as political Islam, the impact of neoliberalism, and authoritarian resilience may be significantly enhanced through a careful focus on the changing definitions, roles and practices of citizenship in the Middle East. Whether wrested as the result of struggles from below or decreed from above, the forms of inclusion and exclusion explored in this welcome addition to the literature will continue to define critical aspects of the region's socio-economic and political trajectories for the foreseeable future.' --Laurie A. Brand, University of Southern California, US 'This collection of chapters on changes in the post-Arab Spring is not just another book on the transformative forces unleashed since 2011. Butenschon and Meijer need to be commended for bringing together convincing arguments about the centrality of citizenship in understanding these changes, and the concerns and the struggles of the people in the Middle East. This is a powerful, analytically groundbreaking, and