Political Narratives in the Middle East and North Africa
Conceptions of Order and Perceptions of Instability
Editors: Mühlberger, Wolfgang, Alaranta, Toni (Eds.)
Free Preview- Discusses the role of political narratives in shaping conflicts, perceptions of instability and conceptions of order
- Presents case studies on narratives of regional and international actors in the MENA region
- Illustrates how political entrepreneurs explain and justify their political agendas by developing narratives which appeal to their stakeholders
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- About this book
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This book discusses the role of political narratives in shaping perceptions of instability and conceptions of order in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The authors illustrate how, in times of socio-political turmoil and outbursts of discontent such as the Arab Spring, political entrepreneurs explain and justify their political agendas by complementing hard power solutions with attractive ideas and discursive constructions that appeal to domestic constituencies and geopolitical allies.
The book is divided into two parts. The first focuses on non-state actors, such as confessional communities and ideological movements, who aim to develop narratives that are convincing to their respective polities. It also studies regional powers that seek to determine their positions in a competitive environment via distinctive narrations of order. In part two, the authors investigate the narratives of global players that aim to explain and justify their role in an evolving international order.
- About the authors
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Wolfgang Mühlberger is a Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, where his work focuses on the MENA region and Euro-Mediterranean relations. Previously he worked as a researcher at the Austrian Defence Academy (Institute for Conflict Management and Peace Support), as Director of Government Relations MENA with the Economist Intelligence Unit and as Political Officer for the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ramallah/oPt. His research interests include political transitions, conflict analysis as well as militant and political Islamic organisations. Wolfgang received his M.Phil. in Islamic and Arabic Studies and his M.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration while conducting research and learning Arabic in Morocco, Tunisia, Syria and Yemen. He is the author, co-author and editor of over 50 publications, including two monographs on progressive Muslim reformers and Syrian civil war scenarios.
Toni Alaranta has obtained his PhD in Social Sciences from University of Helsinki, Finland, in 2012. Currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, his main field of interests are Turkish politics and history, Kemalism, and international relations of the modern period.
- Table of contents (10 chapters)
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Introduction: The Power of Narratives in Political Contexts
Pages 1-17
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Wartime Narratives of Hezbollah Militants in the Syrian Conflict
Pages 21-32
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Chasing the Wind: Clashes Between Israeli and Palestinian Narratives
Pages 33-53
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Turkey as the Order-Producing Country: Narrating the New Turkey in the Middle East
Pages 55-70
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Evolving Narratives of Political Contestation and Geopolitical Rivalry in the Persian Gulf
Pages 71-91
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Table of contents (10 chapters)
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Bibliographic Information
- Bibliographic Information
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- Book Title
- Political Narratives in the Middle East and North Africa
- Book Subtitle
- Conceptions of Order and Perceptions of Instability
- Editors
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- Wolfgang Mühlberger
- Toni Alaranta
- Series Title
- Perspectives on Development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region
- Copyright
- 2020
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing
- Copyright Holder
- Springer Nature Switzerland AG
- eBook ISBN
- 978-3-030-35217-2
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-3-030-35217-2
- Hardcover ISBN
- 978-3-030-35216-5
- Series ISSN
- 2520-1239
- Edition Number
- 1
- Number of Pages
- VIII, 187
- Number of Illustrations
- 1 b/w illustrations, 6 illustrations in colour
- Topics
