[This is a monthly roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Resistance, Subversion and Social Mobilization in the Arab world and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the DARS Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each monthly roundup to DARS@jadaliyya.com.]
News & Commentaries
Oman Jobs Protest Spreads to Other Cities as Arrests Reported, by Joe Gill
Over the last three weeks, hundreds of Omanis have been protesting high unemployment among the country’s youth. The protests have spread from Oman’s capital to provincial cities Salalah and Sur. The protests, which are rare in the heavily policed Gulf state, were followed by a number of arrests. The government has issued a statement reaffirming plans to increase jobs for nationals over the next six months.
Women’s Organizations in Northern Syria Have Come a Long Way, by Kachya Othman
Women’s organizations in northern Syria have campaigned for womens' rights, specifically on violence against women, challenging all forms of gendered discrimination, as well as empowering women socially and encouraging them to learn new skills. Although these groups have come long way in raising women’s awareness about their rights, social constraints as represented by a patriarchal society remain.
Women’s Campaigns Flourish Beyond Iran Protests, by Stefania D’Ignoti
Through the perspectives of various academics and activists, this article serves to correct the perception that women's empowerment and protest in Iran is only about standing up against compulsory hijab. It is emphasised that women's concerns are the same as men's – on rising prices, corruption, and lack of transparency. Nevertheless, the veil is still considered a “crucial driver of Iranian women's resistance” and social campaigns.
A “Blue” Generation and Protests in Iran, by Aghil Daghagheleh and Zakia Salime
Popular frustrations over lack of economic trickle down have been building up in Iran spurring the recent protests across the country. Yet, as the authors of this article argue, economic imbalances are not the only driving force behind the protests. Another largely ignored aspect is vital to understanding the situation, namely “the shifting sensibilities of a new generation of Iranians.” Young middle-class Iranians, known as the “blue generation” are increasingly alienated from the ideology and emotional attachments of post-revolutionary Iran. This generation has appropriated different tropes of nationalism and has used social media outlets particularly the messaging service Telegram, to both avoid and undermine dominant ideology. Yet the “blue generation” lacks coherency and organization and therefore could fall victim to political manipulation.
Tunisia Is Back on a Knife Edge – And Here Is Why, by Pamela Abbott and Andrea Teti
Abbott and Teti, also authors of The Arab Uprisings in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia (Palgrave Macmillan 2018), argue that “Tunisia, like the other countries in the region, is unstable because it has failed to address the very issues that fuelled the revolution of 2011. […] roots of the current protests are not merely economic but also political; borne of repeated political failure. Ignoring citizens’ concerns and embracing the quick and easy path of repression will only further destabilise this country – be it through revolution, radicalisation or the return of dictatorship.”
Young Tunisians Know 2011 Changed Nothing: the Revolution Goes On, by Ghassen Ben Khelifa and Hamza Hamouchene
Initiated by the youth movement Fesh Nestannew, violent protests against recent austerity measures (that will lead to higher prices for basic foods, fuel and energy) have flared up on the seventh anniversary of the toppling of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. For the past seven years, young people across the country have organised and kept up the revolutionary fervour to maintain Tunisian sovereignty against foreign interest and free market ideology.
How the Muslim Brotherhood’s Women Activists Stepped Up in Egypt, by Anwar Mhajne
In recent times, women activists of the Muslim Brotherhood have focused on mobilising political and financial support for the imprisoned male members, running media campaigns during national parliamentary elections, building on women's access to people via mosques and welfare organisations, and campaigning against human rights abuses of Sisi’s regime against women. While their increasing public visibility is met with violent consequences via state targeting, it has also made it impossible for the male leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood to ignore women's demands for a bigger role in the organisation and its structure.
From Revolution to Powerlifting, by Lina Attalah
Every anniversary of Egypt’s revolution, Mada Masr publishes some stories on individuals that took part in this moment of history, as a way to reflect, and look into “how losses and disappearances from that moment in our past continue to shape their lives today.” This is the story of Sarah Carr, a personal trainer, journalist, and blogger.
How Ahed Tamimi Became an Icon to Palestinians, by Ahmad Melhem
While sixteen-year-old Ahed Tamimi became an internet icon after a video showing her slapping an Israeli soldier went viral in December, she was already an icon in her Palestinian community. The author interviewed relatives of Ahed, who talk about her and how she grew to become part of the popular resistance, as well as her dreams of becoming a professional soccer player and ambitions to study law at Birzeit University.
Hundreds Protest in Nabi Saleh to Demand Freedom for Tamimi Women, by Haggai Matar
Led by strong female leadership, around three hundred Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals marched in the West Bank village on Nabi Saleh to demand the freedom of Ahed and Nariman Tamimi, as well as other detained members of the popular resistance committees. The demonstration hosted speeches, but was eventually dispersed by the Israeli army.
Syrian Kurd Leaders Call for Mass Mobilization to Defend Afrin, by Middle East Eye
The Kurdish-led authorities of northeast Syria have called for mass mobilisation in defence of Syria's Afrin region against a Turkish military offensive, targeting US-backed Kurdish YPG fighters in Afrin.
الحالمون بالعدالة: صور للعمال في انتصاراتهم وانكساراتهم
فاطمة رمضان
تكتب الناشطة في الحركة العمالية في مصر فاطمة رمضان عن قيادة الحركة العمالية ومحاولات العمال قبل و بعد ثورة يناير ٢٠١١ لاستعادة الشركات العامة من أيدي مستثمري القطاع الخاص. العمال و الاتحادات يستخدمون وسائل متنوعة في استرداد حقوقهم في العمل. تكتب رمضان عن عدد من قضايا العمال في مصر مثل العمال في شركة النيل لحلج الأقطان في محافظة المنيا وعمال طنطا للكتان كما تتحدث رمضان عن الناشطة في دمنهور عيشة أبوسامدا المعروفة بلقب "أم العمال".
ضد زيارة سعد الدين إبراهيم لجامعة تل أبيب
أساتذة بالجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة
في هذه الرسالة من عدد من الأساتذة في الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة يستنكرون وينتقدون زيارة الأستاذ سعد الدين إبراهيم لجامعة تل أبيب في اسرائيل سابقا في هذا الشهر. ويقولون إن زيارته لإسرائيل تخالف القرارات التي اتخذتها الجامعة الأمريكية في عام 1979 ومرة أخرى في عام 2008 «لدعم للأكاديميين الفلسطينيين» و الشعب الفلسطيني. أيضا زيارته تتناقض مع حركة مقاطعة إسرائيل (BDS) ومبادئ نشر الديمقراطية و حقوق الانسان التي
يلتزم بها في منصبه كأستاذ سابق في الجامعة الأمريكية ورئيس مركز «ابن خلدون للدراسات الإنمائية"
الشرطة الجزائرية تفرق احتجاجاً للأطباء في وسط العاصمة بالقوة
عثمان لحياني
حاول عدد من الأطباء الجزائريين تنظيم مسيرة من مستشفى في وسط العاصمة احتجاجا على أوضاعهم المهنية. و لكان تدخل الأمن الجزائري منع خروج الأطباء إلى الشارع و استخدام القوة من الأمن أدى إلى إصابة عدد من المتظاهرين الأطباء و اعتقال عدد أخر.
تونس.. غضب يتصاعد مقابل الغلاء
هذا التقرير يتحدث عن أسباب تجديد النهج الثوري في تونس و أسباب نزول المتظاهرون إلى الشارع خلال هذا الشهر. أحد الأسباب المهمة هي غلاء الأسعار في أعقاب المصادقة على قانون المالية 2018. ارتفاع أسعار المنتجات الأساسية مثل البنزين و السكر و الأدوية من بداية رأس السنة الجديدة أدى لخفض القوة الشرائية للتونسيين. بالإضافة إلى البنود الواردة في قانون المالية لهذه السنة التي تضمن خصم الأجور.
تظاهرة حاشدة لموظفي "أونروا" في غزة رفضاً للابتزاز الأميركي
جهاد عويص
نظم اتحاد الموظفين العرب بوكالة أونروا في قطاع غزة مسيرة حاشدة لموظفي الوكالة احتجاجاً على التهديدات من الإدارة الأمريكية لإغلاق الوكالة. خرج أكثر من 13 ألف متظاهر إلى الشوارع في مسيرة غاضبة على الإدارة الأمريكية التي تهدف إلى إيقاف المساعدات للاجئين الفلسطينيين. وقال المدير العام للأونروا إن حماية الوكالة مهمة انسانية لأنها منظمة تقدم الخدمات اليومية الأساسية للاجئين في المنطقة. تقدم الأونروا الخدمات إلى 6 ملايين لاجئ في غزة والضفة الغربية و سورية والأردن ولبنان، و فيها 30 ألف موظف.
دعوات بمصر لمقاطعة الانتخابات الرئاسية
أصدر عدد من السياسيين المصريين البارزين بيانا يدعو الشعب المصري إلى مقاطعة الانتخابات الرئاسية القادمة. وأدان البيان ممارسات الأمن المصري في منع المنافسة النزيهة و"محاولة إفراغ الساحة من كل المرشحين" كما حدث مع المرشح سامي عنان منذ قريب. لهذه الأسباب يوصفون الانتخابات ك "مسرحية هزلية.”
Art & Culture
These Feminist Arab Comics Are the Best Thing on the Internet Right Now, by Rayana Khalaf
“Kharabish Nasawiya (Feminist Doodles), a Facebook page creating feminist Arabic comics is smashing the patriarchy one witty post at the time. The page revamps comics found online, adding an Arab twist that delivers important messages, all the while making people laugh with tongue-in-cheek humor.”
Mapping the Journey of Syria’s Artists: What Happens When a Culture Disperses? by Eliza Griswold
Eliza Griswold moves away of the “Syrian-refugee industry” and the “photographs of terrified refugees” and maps the journeys of Syrian artists and shares their stories and their perceptions of what it means to be a Syrian artist.
Meet Yemen’s Street Artist: “We Want Peace,” by Gouri Sharma
Since the start of the revolution in 2011, Murad Subay has been using street art to campaign for peace in Yemen. His mural campaign ‘The walls remember their faces’ on the forced disappearances not only pushed the issue onto the political agenda, but also helped to find and locate some of the people who had gone missing. Through his campaigns, Subay works to involve the community collaboratively, to give them hope and to give them a voice.
Little Gandhi: A Syrian Movie About Peaceful Activism, by Rob Reynolds
For the first time, Syria had an Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category: a documentary called Little Gandhi. The documentary is centred on the uprising that began in 2011 and tells the story of Ghiyath Matar, a young Syrian activist.
Palestinian Artist Draws Vivid Picture of Women’s Suffering, Rage, by Rasha Abou Jalal
Palestinian artist Hanaa Hamash was featured at the exhibition “13 Million” in Gaza city, which focused on the strength of Palestinian women who live in harsh conditions under occupation. Hamash highlights in her work women's active role in the Palestinian artistic and resistance movements.
Book Reviews
Dancing in Damascus: Creativity, Resilience, and the Syrian Revolution, by Miriam Cook
In this audio interview, Nadirah Mansour interviews author and scholar Miriam Cooke on her new book titled Dancing in Damascus: Creativity, Resilience, and the Syrian Revolution (Routledge, 2017). This book looks at how artists have creatively portrayed the war in Syria through various mediums of art since the beginning of the revolution in 2011 and the intersections of oppression, art, and memory.
Revolution Without Revolutionaries: Making Sense of the Arab Spring. A conversation with Asef Bayat on his latest book, by Heba Khalil
In this conversation, sociologist Heba Khalil engages Asef Bayat on several of the main points he raises in his latest book Revolution without Revolutionaries: Making Sense of the Arab Spring (Stanford University Press 2017). The book explores how time and space affected the nature and outcome of the Arab Spring.
Putting Balfour on Trial, by Selba Dabbagh
Dabbagh reviews two books: J.M.N. Jeffries's Palestine the Reality: The Inside Story of the Balfour Declaration 1917-1938 (Olive Branch Press 2017), and Colin Anderson's Balfour in the Dock: J.M.N. Jeffries and the Case for the Prosecution (Skyscraper 2017). While Jeffries’ book functions as collated primary source material, meticulously constructed to present a weighty critique of the Balfour Declaration and its legacy, Anderson's work makes a case not just for the prosecution of Arthur James Balfour, but also in defense of Jeffries and the commentary around him.
لماذا يمانع العرب الاستقلالية النقابية؟
غسان صليبي
جزء من الكتيب بعنوان" "النقابات المستقلة في المنظمة العربيّة" سيصدر قريباً عن الاتحاد الدولي لنقابات الخدمات العامة. يتحدث عن استقلال النقابات في العالم العربي ونضالها عبر التاريخ من أجل الاستقلال.
Events & Conferences
Domination and Struggle in Infrastructure and Logistics, 20 February 2018, SOAS, London, UK.
International Conference on Human Rights Studies, 2-3 March 2018, DAKAM, Istanbul, Turkey.
Contested Identities and Conflicting Alliances in the Arab World, 28 April 2018, Graduate Conference, University of Cambridge, UK. (Call for Papers Deadline: 26 February 2018)
Social Movements and Protest: Race, Ethnicity, and Radicalism, 4-5 May 2018, San Diego State University, San Diego, US.
The Reception of Images: Realities and Fictions in North/South Relations, 8-9 May 2018, University of Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed, Oran, Algeria
Orientalism, Neo-Orientalism and Post-Orientalism in African, Middle East, Latin American, Asian/Chinese Studies, 17-18 May 2018, Center for Global Studies, Shanghai University, China. (Call for Papers Deadline: 29 February 2018)
Re-Imagining Cultural Histories of the Middle East and North Africa, 28 June 2018, University of Westminster, UK.
Political Violence in Syria: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, 14-15 September 2018, Ultrecht University, Netherlands. (Call for Papers Deadline: 15 April 2018)