Between Springs: The Berber Dilemma
Although many in North Africa and the Middle East are dissatisfied with it, the phrase “Arab” Spring, used label to describe extraordinary popular uprisings of the past few years, seems to have staying power. What the name implies is an ethnically “Arab” uprising. The Middle East and North Africa, h...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2014
|
| In: |
The Muslim world
Year: 2014, Volume: 104, Issue: 3, Pages: 240-249 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Although many in North Africa and the Middle East are dissatisfied with it, the phrase “Arab” Spring, used label to describe extraordinary popular uprisings of the past few years, seems to have staying power. What the name implies is an ethnically “Arab” uprising. The Middle East and North Africa, however, are far from ethnic monoliths. A substantial ethnic and linguistic minority, the Berbers, who form large portions of the populations of Algeria, Libya and Morocco, are left to wrestle between current, authoritarian regimes that have only recently recognized their identity, and the prospect of Islamist governance that threatens to reintroduce Arabization, Islamic nationalism and the reversal of hard-won gains. In this respect, the memory and continued relevance of the “Berber” Spring of 1980 seems to sit somewhat uneasily with the continuing consequences of the “Arab” Spring of 2011. In the end, however, it is relations with the nation-state that continue to dominate even in a post-Arab Spring world. Berbers in each of the nation states in North Africa have used very different strategies in their efforts to enhance recognition of their language and identity in light of recent events. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1478-1913 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The Muslim world
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/muwo.12054 |
