Overview
- 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
Part of the book series: Perspectives on Development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region (PDMENA)
Access this book
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
Table of contents (10 chapters)
-
Front Matter
-
Non-State Actors and Regional Powers Narrating and Reshaping Order
-
Front Matter
-
-
Global Players’ Narratives Towards MENA Instability
-
Front Matter
-
Keywords
About this book
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.
Editors and Affiliations
About the editors
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.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Political Narratives in the Middle East and North Africa
Book Subtitle: Conceptions of Order and Perceptions of Instability
Editors: Wolfgang Mühlberger, Toni Alaranta
Series Title: Perspectives on Development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35217-2
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-35216-5Published: 14 February 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-35219-6Published: 14 February 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-35217-2Published: 13 February 2020
Series ISSN: 2520-1239
Series E-ISSN: 2520-1247
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: VIII, 187
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations, 6 illustrations in colour
Topics: Middle Eastern Politics, African Politics, Political Communication, International Security Studies