Revolutions broke off in North Africa and spread to the Middle East and the rest of the world in 2010 and 2011. Spontaneous, leaderless, youth-driven, and backed by social media, these revolutions called for karamah (dignity) and democracy. This book highlights the broader sources of authority that affected the emergence of new feminist actors and agents and their impact on the sociopolitical landscapes of the region.
The book addresses the challenges faced by women on the two shores of the Mediterranean. While in the European Union’s Mediterranean countries inequality is mostly linked to the social sphere and in particular refers to labour market dynamics, in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) area the social and private spheres are blended and cultural and religious factors have a great impact on women autonomy and opportunities beyond the family perimeter. The chapters in this book were originally published in a special issue of the Journal of the Balkans and Near Eastern Studies.