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The New Middle East: Emerging Political and Ideological Trends (completed)

Even before the outbreak of the Arab Spring the Middle East was in transition. Where is the Middle East heading?

About the project

The Arab Spring has led to the fall of the autocratic regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and put severe pressure on the regimes in Yemen, Syria and other countries: Even before the outbreak of the Arab Spring the Middle East was in transition.

Old patriarchal structures were crumbling, the population was getting younger, and the democracy deficit was acute. Where is the Middle East heading?

Subprojects

  • Bjørn Olav Utvik: A Choice between Piety or Progress? Islamist Developments in Egypt and the GCC countries
  • Bård Kårtveit: Being a Coptic Man. Masculinity, gender relations and boundary maintenance among Egyptian Copts
  • Jacob Høigilt: Religion and Political Activism among Youth in the West Bank and Gaza after 2007
  • Albrecht Hofheinz: Religion and Political Activism among Youth in the West Bank and Gaza after 2007: Social media as a window on political and ideological trends in the Arab world
  • Dag Tuastad: State, family and patriarchy: Political implications of changing inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations and marriage patterns
  • Tilde Rosmer:The Islamic Movement in Israel: Islamism in the Jewish State
  • Rania Maktabi: The Syria Conflict and the Future of Jihadism in the Middle East
  • Kai Kverme: Transnational religious networks and Gulf States influence
  • Pinar Tank: Turkey´s AKP and the politics of contention

Objectives

The different sub-projects were aimed at illuminating different aspects of the ongoing changes in the region through the two common research-questions:

  1. Which political and ideological trends find support among the youth?
  2. Which trends are observable in the civil society?

Blog

The New Middle East Blog

Cooperation

This projects consisted of researchers from The University of Oslo, Fafo (Institute for Labour and Social Research) and PRIO (Peace Research Institute Oslo)

Financing

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Duration

The project was established in 2011 and continued until the spring of 2016.

Closing conference

Five Years after the Arab Spring: Political and Ideological Trends.

Time and place: University of Oslo, June 10, 2016.

The conference marked the end of the New Middle East project. Two main topics were addressed at the conference by panels composed of NEWME researchers and leading international Middle East experts.

  • The first topic addressed the current status of democracy and political Islam in the Middle East.
  • The second addressed political implications of the challenges to patriarchal structures (gender and age hierarchies) in the region. ​

 

Publications

Reports 2015-2016

Agents of Change? How Islamist Women Activists in Israel Are Challenging the Status Quo  by Tilde Rosmer, UiO

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Kai Kverme, UiO

Broken Walls: Challenges to Patriarchal Authority in the Eyes of Sudanese Social Media Actors by Albrecht Hofheinz, UiO

Clan and Patriarchy in Palestinian Politics by Dag Henrik Tuastad, UIO

Fear and Loathing in East Jerusalem by Jacob Høigilt, PRIO

Female lawyers in Morocco, Lebanon, and Kuwait Speak after 2011 by Rania Maktabi

Game not Over: The Long Arab Spring by Bjørn Olav Utvik, UiO

Jihadism in the Arab World after 2011: Explaining its Expansion by Brynjar Lia

Kurdish Women: Liberation through the Barrel of a Gun? by Pinar Tank, PRIO

Policy Briefs 2015-2016

A Choice between ISIS and Sisi? The Arab World in 2016 by Bjørn Olav Utvik, UiO

Broken Walls: Challenges to Patriarchal Authority in the Eyes of Sudanese Social Media Actors by Albrecht Hofheinz, UiO

Female Lawyers and Reforms in Patriarchal State Laws by Rania Maktabi

Kurdish Female Combatants and the Role of Gender Ideology by Pinar Tank, PRIO

How Palestinian Islamist Women Activists in Israel are Challenging the Status Quo by Tilde Rosmer, UiO

Why East Jerusalem is Breaking Down and How to Improve the Situation by Jacob Høigilt, PRIO

Patriarchal Nationalists, Democratic Clans. The Dynamics of Clan and Nation in Palestinian Politics by Dag Henrik Tuastad, UIO

Reports 2014

Accommodation or Fight for Democracy? Egyptian Islamism after Sisi’s coup by Bjørn Olav Utvik, UiO

Fatah from Below: Neopatriarchy and the Clash of Generations in Palestine by Jacob Høigilt, PRIO

Football riots in Jordan: Remembering the civil war, forgetting democratization by Dag Henrik Tuastad, UiO

The Domestic Repercussions of Turkey’s Syria Policy by Pinar Tank, PRIO

The Split of the Islamic Movement in Israel: Minority Dilemmas in the Jewish State by Tilde Rosmer, UiO

Withdrawal from Taḥrīr? Voices from the social media on the fate of the revolution, the wall of fear, and the role of individual actors in post-coup Egypt by Albrecht Hofheinz, UiO

Policy Briefs 2014

Egyptian Islamism after Sisi’s coup (brief) by Bjørn Olav Utvik, UiO

Football as a barometer of political trends (brief) by Dag Henrik Tuastad, UiO

The Clash of Generations in Palestine (brief) by Jacob Høigilt, PRIO

The Growing Sunni-Alevi divide in Turkey (brief) by Pinar Tank, PRIO

The Split of the Islamic Movement in Israel: Minority Dilemmas in the Jewish State (brief) by Tilde Rosmer, UiO

Withdrawal from Taḥrīr? Voices from the social media on the fate of the revolution (brief) by Albrecht Hofheinz, UiO

Reports 2013

A question of faith? islamists and secularists fight over the post-mubarak state by Bjørn Olav Utvik, UiO

Have the cake and eat it too: Hamas and PLO elections by Dag Henrik Tuastad, UiO

Between Turkey´s AKP and the Gülen movement: Perspectives on the Kurdish peace process by Pinar Tank, PRIO

Rural Revolutionaries: Political Mobilisation of Farmers and Fishermen in the Egyptian Countryside after the 25th of January Uprising by Tor Håkon Tordhol, UiO

Unintentional Democrats – Independent unions in post-Mubarak Egypt by Kristian Takvam Kindt, UiO

The Patriarch, the General and the Doctor: Opposing Visions for the Future of Lebanon by Kai Kverme, UiO

Why is there no third intifada? An analysis of youth activism in the West Bank by Jacob Høigilt, PRIO

#WhyIHateIkhwan Islamist-secular polarisation in Egyptian social media by Albrecht Hofheinz, UiO

Policy Briefs 2013

A question of faith? Islamists and secularists fight over the post-mubarak state (brief by Bjørn Olav Utvik, UiO

Have the cake and eat it too: Hamas and PLO elections (brief) by Dag Henrik Tuastad, UiO

Lessons learned from the non-violent resistance movement in the West Bank (brief) by Jacob Høigilt, PRIO

Turkey´s domestic turmoil and international challenges: What chance is there for a Turkish-Kurdish peace process? (brief) by Pinar Tank, PRIO

#WhyIHateIkhwan Islamist-secular polarisation in Egyptian social media (brief) by Albrecht Hofheinz, UiO

Reports 2012

The Ikhwanisation of the Salafis: Piety in the Politics of Egypt and Kuwait by Bjørn Olav Utvik, UiO

(Un)popular Committees. The Crisis of Representation Within Palestinian Refugee Camps  by Dag Henrik Tuastad, UiO

Islamist Student Politics in Israel by Tilde Rosmer, UiO

The AKP’s foreign policy challenges after the Arab Spring by Pinar Tank, PRIO

The Palestinian Spring that Was Not: the Youth and Political Activism in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by Jacob Høigilt, PRIO

Social Media in the ‘Arab Spring’: The Example of Egypt by Albrecht Hofheinz, UiO

Policy Briefs 2012

Islamist Student Politics in Israel (pdf) by Tilde Rosmer, UiO

New Bad Guys or on the Road to Moderation: Salafis in the Post-Revolutionary Politics of Egypt (pdf) by Bjørn Olav Utvik, UiO

Social Media in the ‘Arab Spring’ — the example of Egypt (pdf) by Albrecht Hofheinz, UiO

The Syria Crisis: Challenges to Turkey’s role in the new Middle East (pdf) by Pinar Tank, PRIO

(Un)popular Committees. The Crisis of Representation Within Palestinian Refugee Camps (pdf) by Dag Henrik Tuastad, UiO

Youth and popular protest in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (pdf) by Jacob Høigilt, PRIO

Clan and Patriarchy in Palestinian Politics by Dag Henrik Tuastad, UIO

Tags: Global South, Palestine, Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria, Middle East
Published Oct. 26, 2020 1:52 PM - Last modified May 28, 2021 1:56 PM

Contact

Project manager:
Dag Henrik Tuastad

 

Participants

Detailed list of participants