Arab Spring

Delayed Defiance and the End of Postcolonialism

Hamid Dabashi

This pioneering explanation of the Arab Spring will define a new era of thinking about the Middle East.

In this landmark book, Hamid Dabashi argues that the revolutionary uprisings that have engulfed multiple countries and political climes from Morocco to Iran and from Syria to Yemen, were driven by a ‘Delayed Defiance’–a point of rebellion against domestic tyranny and globalized disempowerment alike that signifies no less than the end of Postcolonialism. Sketching a new geography of liberation, Dabashi shows how the Arab Spring has altered the geopolitics of the region so radically that we must begin re-imagining the moral map of ‘the Middle East’ afresh.

Ultimately, the ‘permanent revolutionary mood’ Dabashi brilliantly explains has the potential to liberate not only those societies already ignited, but many others through a universal geopolitics of hope.

Contents

Introduction: The Arab Spring: The End of Postcoloniality
Chapter One: Decentering the World: How the Arab Spring Unfolded
Chapter Two: Towards Liberation Geography
Chapter Three: A New Language of Revolt
Chapter Four: Discovering a New World
Chapter Five: From the Green Movement to the Jasmine Revolutions
Chapter Six: The center cannot hold
Chapter Seven: The End of Postcolonialism
Chapter Eight: Race, Gender, and Class in Transnational Revolutions
Chapter Nine: Libya: The Crucible
Chapter Ten: Delayed Defiance
Conclusion: The People Demand the Overthrow of the Regime

About the Author

Hamid Dabashi is the author of eighteen books and many articles. His books and articles have been translated into numerous languages and include Theology of Discontent (1993), Iran: A People Interrupted (2007) and Islamic Liberation Theology: Resisting the Empire (2008).