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Despite the wave of protests that swept through the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) between 2010 and 2012, and more recent upheavals in Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, and Lebanon since 2019, many countries in the region continue to host authoritarian regimes. Political scientists studying the MENA have persistently explored the functioning of and the factors underpinning resilient authoritarianism for several decades. The primary aim of this course is to familiarize students with, and encourage critical engagement with, this dominant stream in the study of MENA politics. However, we will not overlook existing reservoirs of democratic politics that could pave the way for fundamental political change in the future.
The second aim of this course is to deepen students’ understanding of the concept and internal functioning of authoritarian regimes, as well as their appreciation of the fact that authoritarianism does not conform to a single prototype but involves distinct institutions and practices. To achieve this, the course will be divided into four themes: institutions, strategies, structures, and opposition. Each class will address a specific topic related to these themes (including women’s rights, digital strategies, democracy promotion, rentierism, and more) and focus on a single case study from the MENA region (e.g., Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, or the Gulf monarchies) or compare multiple cases. The third aim of the course is to make students attuned not only to what is being researched but also to how this research is conducted, including considerations of the methods used and their rationale. To this end, we will thoroughly discuss one or two academic texts on the given topic each week. Consequently, this is a course for students who wish to read and engage actively, as the majority of classes will be structured around discussions of the assigned texts, with students taking an active role. By the end of the course, it is hoped that students will be able to discuss democracy and authoritarianism in the MENA region within a comparative perspective and will be better equipped to evaluate the methodological choices behind the research they engage with. Last update: Kotalová Karolína, Bc. (27.01.2025)
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1) Active participation and close reading of assigned texts ahead of each class (20%). Students are expected to read the assigned readings carefully ahead of each class and to take an active role in the discussion of the readings during the seminar. Students can miss a maximum of three classes. Any additional absence will affect your final course grade (for each additional absence, I will reduce the grade for active participation by 20 points). However, I do understand that may be some very exceptional situations – if that is so, do send me an email or come to talk to me after class, ideally before the actual absence. 2) In class, short text discussion (30 % of the final mark). Once or twice per term (depending on the number of students in the class), you will be asked to provide a short (up to 15 minutes) discussion of one of the assigned readings that will stimulate our debate of the text. See the guidelines below for more detail. 3) Essay (approx. 2 000 words) due on 31 May (50 % of the final mark) Students will be asked to write a 2 000 words-long essay that will seek to answer the following question: “What factors do you think provide the most convincing explanation of the continued lack of democracy in the Middle East and North Africa?” Students will submit the essay through the moodle site. See the guidelines below for more detail. Students should respect the deadline – there will be a penalty of 15 points for each week of the delay. Students have to complete all three components of the grading scheme to pass the course. Grading: 1 (A) – Excellent – 80-100 points 2 (B) – Very good – 60-79 points 3 (D) – Satisfactory 40-59 points 4 (F) – Fail – 39 points and less In class, short text discussion Once or twice per term (depending on the number of students in the class), you will be asked to provide a short (up to 15 minutes) discussion of one of the assigned readings that will stimulate our debate of the text. Students should not give a summary of each paragraph of the text; instead, they should focus on the following: - A very brief introduction of the author. - What is the main argument the author(s) are making? - How do they explain and develop it? (i.e. What is the logic behind the argument?) - Situating the text into a wider academic debate (i.e. What debates or counter-arguments does the author engage with?) - What methods and evidence are they using to support the argument? - YOUR OWN OPINION (don’t forget that!): Are you convinced by the analysis? Is there any issue that the author did not cover that you think is essential? What were the strong/weak points of the text? Why did you enjoy (or didn’t) in the text? Explain.
Essay (approx. 2 000 words – word count does not include references/bibliography) Students will be asked to write a 2 000 words-long essay that will seek to answer the following question: “What factors do you think provide the most convincing explanation of the continued lack of democracy in the Middle East and North Africa?”. The essay should engage in a critical conversation with the assigned texts that we read during the term as well as with the debates that we had about them in the seminars. You should show how you build upon, alter, or work in opposition to their ideas and definitions through your quotations and analysis of their concepts or evidence. You may do this by applying theoretical arguments to a particular case; by comparing several cases together in order to evaluate an argument or explanation; by critically evaluating competing explanations of a phenomenon; by generating a novel explanation; or in some other way. In the introduction to the essay, you should define the concept of authoritarianism and explain how the regime you are focusing on, or the regimes in place in the MENA in general, fit this category. Make sure you reference course material extensively. You should also reference additional material to support your argument. Be critical and independent in your analysis. Students are particularly encouraged to conduct their own research. Note on style: Essays should be written in Times New Roman (size 12) and the text should be fully justified (i.e. aligned to both left and right margin). Proper academic referencing (of your chosen style) and bibliography are expected. Remember that how you present your writing (both within and outside academia) matters. Last update: Kotalová Karolína, Bc. (27.01.2025)
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Seminar schedule The schedule is tentative and subject to change. There will be readings assigned for each seminar – please have them completed before class on the day for which it is listed in order to get the most out of the seminars. All the readings will be made accessible through the moodle site. 1. 18.2. Introduction to the course. 2. 25.2. What is authoritarianism? How has it been studied in the MENA? 3. 4.3. Institutions I: Power sharing and blame games in monarchies (Jordan) 4. 11.3. Institutions II: Is there a space for law in authoritarian regimes? (Iran/Egypt) 5. 18.3. Institutions III: What are regime parties for? (Tunisia) 6. 25.3. Strategies I: Digital authoritarianism (Gulf/Egypt) 7. 1.4. Strategies II: Why do dictators support women’s rights? (Morocco) 8. 8.4. Structures I: Do natural resources and other types of rent hinder democratization in the MENA? 9. 15.4. Opposition I: Opposition strategies in autocratizing states (Turkey, with Pelin Ayan Musil) 10. 22.4. Structures II: Democracy promotion? (Egypt) 11. 29.4. Opposition II: Do people in the MENA want democracy? What kind of democracy do they want? 12. 6.5. Conclusion: Is authoritarianism in the MENA special? What prevents democracy taking roots in the region? What problems does the scholarship on authoritarian persistence in the MENA face? Last update: Kotalová Karolína, Bc. (27.01.2025)
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