1st Edition

Informal Power in the Greater Middle East Hidden Geographies

Edited By Luca Anceschi, Gennaro Gervasio, Andrea Teti Copyright 2014
    238 Pages
    by Routledge

    238 Pages
    by Routledge

    Over the last decade or so, academic and non-academic observers have focussed mainly, if not exclusively on the institutions and places of formal power in the Greater Middle East, depicting politics in the region as a small area limited to local authoritarian rulers.

    In contrast, this book aims to explore the ‘hidden geographies’ of power, i.e. the political dynamics developing inside, in parallel to, and beyond institutional forums; arguing that these hidden geographies play a crucial role, both in support of and in opposition to official power. By observing less frequented spaces of power, co-option, and negotiation, and particularly by focusing on the interplay between formal and informal power, this interdisciplinary collection provides new insights in the study of the intersection between policy-making and practical political dynamics in the Greater Middle East.

    Contributing a fresh perspective to a much-discussed topic, Informal Power in the Greater Middle East will be an invaluable resource for students, scholars and those interested in the politics of the region.

    Introduction - L. Anceschi & G. Gervasio Part I Redistributing Power Relations through Informal Alliances 1. In-formalized Polity and the Politics of Dynasty in Egypt and Libya - Larbi Sadiki 2. Beyond the Party: The Shifting Structure of Syria's Power - Lorenzo Trombetta 3. Power and Clanism in the Occupied Palestinian Territory- Massimo Alone 4. When Informal Powers Surface: Civic Activism and the 2011 Egyptian Revolution- Gennaro Gervasio & Andrea Teti 5. Informal Institutions in Turkish Politics: The Case of Proxy Leadership- Gokhan Bacik Part II Radicalization and Conflict 6. Radicalism or Revolution? Power and Resistance in Iran- Arshin Adib-Moghaddam 7. Beyond 'Culture' and 'Tradition' in Sudan: The Role of the State in Reinventing Darfur's Tribal Politics- Noah R. Bassil 8. Protests and Public Power in Post-Saddam Iraq: The Case of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Union- Benjamin Isakhan 9. Rebuilding the State from Below: NGO Networks and the Politics of Civil Society in Somalia- Valeria Saggiomo Part III Resistance, Co-optation, Centralization 10. Apolitical Civil Society and the Constitutional Debate in Morocco- Emanuela Dalmasso11. An Invisible and Enduring Presence: Women in Egyptian Politics- Lucia Sorbera 12. Feudal Control of Politics in Peripheral Turkey: the Example of the Sanliurfa Province- Michelangelo Guida 13. Authoritarian Informality: Elite Centralization in Turkmenistan- Luca Anceschi 14. Informality, Knowledge and Power: The Disciplinary Politics of Civil Society and Democracy- Andrea Teti

     

    Biography

    Luca Anceschi is Lecturer in International Relations, La Trobe University
    Gennaro Gervasio is Lecturer in Middle East Politics, Macquarie University
    Andrea Teti is Lecturer in the Department of Politics, University of Aberdeen