Open Question on the Arab Spring: Several observers and critics of the Arab Spring have provided various understandings of what the Arab revolution may entail at several levels. Some have seen it as “an open-ended course of revolutionary uprisings”, others as either successful or failed revolutions. Overall, they have all noticed that the Arab Spring thus far has created a new revolutionary language — concepts, ideas, aspirations, imagination — with which people talk about their revolutions, so that events are not assimilated retrogressively to the false assumptions of Islamism, nationalism, or socialism, or even, conversely, translated into the tired old clichés of Orientalism, as we have understood these to date. In light of your reading of the Tunisian case (or you may choose another case from North Africa: Libya, Kingdom of Morocco, Egypt, Algeria) do you agree or disagree that the Arabic Spring has indeed carved out something totally new, something we can characterize as post-Orientalist and “genuinely Post-colonial” (in the sense that the Arab spring has broken away with colonial stereotypes?) or it has indeed managed little reforms and no change in the need for democratization of political life and institutions? Has the Arab Spring “truly” provided new vocabularies and perspectives that may debunk the old views and readings of North Africa as politically, socially, and culturally unchanging, or has it been something else? Examplify your analysis and perspective.
Since this is a paper where you need to express your perspective on the basis of a sound evaluation of the author’s perspective/ argument/ point of view, it also means that your presentation/argument has to be very tight and concise and deals with potential objections – you have to think through what you wish to say and lay it out clearly (from the start in your introduction) and in a way that supports the points you wish to make without misrepresenting the author’s main argument. Be sure you have read your articles closely and show you have understood the argument/ debate/ evidence.
You must also take account of those passages in the text that might not support your interpretation – you cannot just ignore them and “stack the deck” by only choosing passages that support your view. Argue your view having taken into account all sides of the argument presented by the author, and showing you have strong evidence supporting your own point of view/ analysis/ reading.
The 2 sources also have to have an annotated bibliography.
It is in MLA format