Spaces of youth politics and the Arab uprisings:environmental activism and the Algerian Hirak

The two waves of uprisings in the Arab world in 2011, then 2019, have brought profound changes. In the second wave, including Iraq, Lebanon and Sudan, the Algerian hirak of 2019 constituted a massive political and social movement, bringing a new president and government, and affecting the popular consciousness that change was now possible. While participation in formal politics remains low, new spaces of participation have emerged. Environmental activism in the public space, as well as deeper challenges to extractivist development ideology, have inspired new practices of youth politics. From the disruption of the hirak to subsequent active citizenship, Algerians have proposed alternative development models. Drawing on findings from a participatory research project working with a network of Algerian youth researchers, and interviews with Algerian young people, associations and entrepreneurs, it is argued that the practices of the hirak have consolidated and amplified the everyday activism of Algerian civil society. Organising environmental protests and action, Algerian youth have created new political spaces and inspired deeper reflections about the future of their country. These findings offer new insights into the longer term impacts of the Arab uprisings and of environmental activism, on spaces of youth political participation

Civil Society in Algeria:Activism, Identity and the Democratic Process

Publication Date: 29 Sep 2018Are new forms of activism emerging in Algeria? Can civil society effect political reform in the country? The violence between radical Islamists and the military during the Algerian civil war of the 1990s led to huge loss of life and mass exile. The public sphere was rendered a dangerous place for over a decade. Yet in defiance of these conditions, civil society grew, with thousands of associations forming throughout the conflict. Associations were set up to protect human rights and vulnerable populations, commemorate those assassinated and promote Algerian heritage. There are now over 93,000 associations registered across the country. Although social, economic and political turbulence continues, new networks still emerge and, since the Arab revolts of 2011, organised demonstrations increasingly take place. Civil Society in Algeria examines these recent developments and scrutinizes the role associations play in promoting political reform and democratization in Algeria. Based on extensive fieldwork undertaken both before and after the Arab Spring, the book shows how associations challenge government policy in the public sphere. Algeria is playing an increasingly important role in the stability and future peaceful relations of the Middle East and North Africa. This book reveals the new forms of activism that are challenging the ever-powerful state. It is a valuable resource for Algeria specialists and for scholars researching political reform and democratization across the Middle East and North Africa.-- Introduction, 1 - Part I: Civil Society and Democracy Promotion in the Arab World -- 1. Civil Society in the Arab World and Algeria, 17 -- 2. International Donors and Democracy Promotion, 39 - Part II: Algerian Civil Society and Relations with the State -- 3. Historical Perspectives on Civil Society in Algeria, 63 -- 4. Civil Society and the State, 82 -- 5. Associations in Algeria, 103 -- 6. Algerian Associations Protecting the Past, 119 -- 7. Algerian Associations and Social Welfare, 138 - Part III: Donors, Democracy and the Language of Others -- 8. Europe, Civil Society and Democracy in Algeria, 159 -- 9. Language and the Construction of Civil Society, 177 -- Conclusion, 195Published version of EUI PhD thesis, 201