‘Civil Societies’ and the Arab Uprisings-Prospects for Socio-political Change: A Comparative Analysis of the On-going Tunisian and Egyptian Plight

Abstract

For many years, people in most Arab states were barred from democratic practices. Ruling families of Arab “patrimonial states” owned the state (Achcar 2016: 7) and monopolized decision-making, while civil society actors and organizations were subject to severe control and repression. Alongside political de-liberalization, the overarching adoption of structural adjustment programs and economic liberalization by Arab states intensified socio-economic and regional inequalities. Middle Eastern observers, nevertheless, depicted the Arab region as an ‘exceptional’ case of enduring authoritarianism and cultural passivity (Huntington 1997; Fukuyama 2001). However, observers mostly failed to notice the popular discontent boiling underneath the surface of Arab societies, sporadically exploding in labour strikes and youth movements that challenged state policies and authoritarianism. The sudden occurrence and exponential spread of the Arab uprisings that resulted in the toppling of long-standing authoritarian rulers in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Libya (although in Libya this was achieved through civil war and external military intervention) took everyone by surprise. The mass uprisings that took to the streets across the Arab world revealed the deeply shared socio-economic hardships, as well as the historical movement and agency of different civil society organizations and collectivities in the lead-up and during the uprisings. However, the post-uprising landscape and relations between state and ‘civil societies’ remains fraught with tension. This chapter reflects on the role of ‘civil societies’—re-conceptualized as a complex space of contestation and conformity—in the lead-up, throughout and beyond the Arab uprisings. The chapter starts by re-examining our understanding of civil society and its evolving nature and historical role—particularly in the two leading countries that witnessed the fall of long-standing authoritarian rulers: Egypt and Tunisia. A comparative study of the unravelling of the uprisings from one country to another, particularly in Tunisia and Egypt, provides important insights to the opportunities and challenges facing ‘civil societies’ in their fight to affect meaningful social and political change.