Iremam - UMR 7310 - 1. Social Mobilization, Political Action and Restructuring of the State Scene

IREMAM Contributors: François Burgat, Myriam Catusse, Vincent Geisser, Gérard Groc, Jean-François Legrain, Aude Signoles.

The recent protest movements, and the resilience of authoritarian regimes, has brought the political question back to the fore when considering the future of the Maghreb and the Mashrek. If public action in the region has long been perceived as apathetic, recent upheavals have encouraged researchers in the social sciences to reappraise their methods, approaches and paradigms. These events, however, have also made clear the need to apprehend these socio-political transformations over the long term. Contrary to what is commonly held, these changes were not born in the “Arab Uprisings”, but are symptomatic of long-term transformations and deeper trends. The work around this research theme aims to comprehend socio-political transformations in the Arab and Muslim worlds from three key perspectives:

• The field of civil mobilization: Social movements, the revival of union action, the politicisation of sexual, cultural and religious minorities, the formation of opposition coalitions, the emergence of new social, territorial and generational divides, etc.

• The field of public action: The impact of civil mobilization on public policies and State and regional government reform (decentralisation, regionalisation, etc.), favouring sector-led approaches (justice, security forces, health, education, environment, emigration-immigration policies, etc.).

The field of transnational policies: Initiatives for regional cooperation, multilateral relations, interstate conflicts, the assertion of religious solidarity in the Arab world, the rise of ethnic nationalisms, policies of allegiance between the state and diasporas, etc. More...