This paper is an attempt to trace the absence of the West in the cultural creative modes of knowledge productions that emerged post the Arab social movements in Tunisia and Egypt.
Whenever we discuss or approach the subject of the construction of identities in post-colonial studies: the West- who I represent here as the "other"- is largely but not entirely perceived as consolidating against or formulating the identities of the East or the identities of the "Rest". This is evident in not only the revered works of prominent theorists like Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Gayatri Spivak, but also in the works of other post-colonial theorists and writers that emerged afterward. However, during the Arab Spring – one of the most solidaristic and transcultural Arab movements that searched for more stable governing models at crossroads of global, regional, and national challenges- creative new forms of formulating identities beyond post-colonial theory emerged, such as; the Arab Spring poetic slogans as creative modes of knowledge production, which moved away from the previous discourse of the post-colonial Arab intellectuals built on a bifurcation identity, and also in tandem revolting the internal regimes of knowledge production.
The new forms of cultural productions not only represented moments of self-emergency, social solidarity, and construction of the "self'"during traumatic moments, but also in tandem absented and muted the West and East binaries and antithesis of representation.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Post-colonial identities and formations
3. Beyond Post-Colonial Identities. Slogans as new modes of knowledge production and agency.A fraction of the Egyptian Poetic slogans of the Arab spring.
4. A fraction of the Tunisian poetic slogans of the Arab Spring.
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the relationship between ordinary citizens and cultural production during the post-2010/2011 Arab uprisings, specifically focusing on Egypt and Tunisia. It explores how poetic slogans emerged as a creative mode of knowledge production that transcends post-colonial discourse, moving away from binary representations of the West and East to address internal political realities and local yearning for social justice.
- The role of poetic slogans as new modes of knowledge production and collective agency.
- The critique of post-colonial discourse and orientalist paradigms prevalent before 2011.
- Analysis of the "cultural revolution" and its impact on the construction of transcultural identities.
- The relationship between collective repertoire of actions and political change.
- The intersection of ideology, cultural identity, and social movements in the Middle East.
Excerpt from the Book
Beyond Post-Colonial Identities. Slogans as new modes of knowledge production and agency.A fraction of the Egyptian Poetic slogans of the Arab spring.
Accordingly, people collectively looked for suitable means for agency and change. As such, the 2011 moment uncovered so many misleading and diversion in the post-colonial discourse about the realities of the Arab world, and in doing that it silenced and muted the presence and the idea of the ‘West’ as a central idea in the internal sufferings of the ‘Rest’. In ‘The End of Post colonialism’, Dabashi informs us that, the Arab spring slogan that was constantly uttered among the enthusiastic masses on the streets, “the People want to topple the regime”, signified both a political and cultural desire. According to Dabashi, “to topple the regime”, the masses not only meant toppling the political regimes of exploitation, but also the regimes of knowledge. As stated earlier, the regimes of knowledge in this context signify the post-colonial discourse with all its discursive manifestations like censorship, oppression, exile, state interference, and state-sponsored narratives. In Egypt, the censorship and the oppression from the regimes of knowledge were prevalent in the leading literary associations like, National theater of Egypt, or the Union of Egyptian writers, which were under the control of the state. In Tunisia, as I mentioned earlier, the repression was evident in the empty shelves in the bookstores and on the streets. In Libya during Gaddafi’s rule, in a state-organized literary festival, the state ‘arrested’ writers and put them in “prison where a whole generation of ….writers in their twenties and thirties spent a decade.”10
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This chapter introduces the core focus on the cultural productions of the Arab uprisings and sets the theoretical stage regarding the shift away from orientalist discourses.
Post-colonial identities and formations: This section explores how cultural identity is constructed within post-colonial studies, utilizing the theories of Stuart Hall and Michel Foucault to examine how power and discourse shape the "Other."
Beyond Post-Colonial Identities. Slogans as new modes of knowledge production and agency.A fraction of the Egyptian Poetic slogans of the Arab spring.: This chapter analyzes how Egyptian street slogans functioned as powerful tools of agency, representing a new form of knowledge production that challenged state-controlled regimes of representation.
A fraction of the Tunisian poetic slogans of the Arab Spring.: This section discusses the Tunisian context of revolutionary slogans and illustrates how these collective repertoires facilitated transcultural connections across national borders.
Conclusion: This final chapter synthesizes the main arguments, reaffirming that the poetic slogans of the Arab Spring broke the established hierarchy of knowledge production and fostered a new sense of transcultural identity.
Keywords
Arab Spring, Identity, Post-colonial, absenting, Poetic Slogans, Egypt, Tunisia, Knowledge Production, Agency, Transculturality, Ideology, Representation, Social Movements, Repertoire, Collective Imaginary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the cultural and literary expressions, specifically poetic slogans, that emerged during the 2010-2011 Arab uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, analyzing them as responses to local socio-political issues rather than purely post-colonial grievances.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed in this work?
The work touches upon post-colonial studies, social movement theory, cultural identity construction, the sociology of knowledge, and the political impact of creative forms of resistance.
What is the central research goal?
The primary goal is to trace how the "absence" of the West in new cultural creative modes of knowledge production allows for a redefined collective identity that prioritizes internal needs over external colonial binary narratives.
Which scientific theories or methods are utilized?
The author employs discourse analysis and social movement theory, drawing extensively on the works of Hamid Dabashi, Stuart Hall, Michel Foucault, Charles Tilly, and Louis Althusser.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main sections cover the critique of post-colonial identity models, the analysis of revolutionary slogans as "contentious performance," and the concept of transculturality as a bridge between ordinary people and collective identity.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Arab Spring, Identity, Post-colonial, absenting, Poetic Slogans, and Transculturality.
How did the slogans move beyond simple political statements?
The author argues that these slogans functioned as "embodied actions" and a form of "cultural repertoire" that allowed protesters to demand change and express solidarity, effectively creating new, inclusive cultural artifacts.
What does the term "repertoire" imply in this context?
Drawing from Charles Tilly, "repertoire" refers to the catalog of collective actions and performances (like street slogans, marches, and wall graffiti) that ordinary people use to build sustained political pressure and share knowledge.
How is the concept of "transculturality" linked to the Arab uprisings?
The paper explains that transculturality allows citizens to identify with others beyond national borders, creating a shared ethic that transcends the limitations imposed by state-controlled narratives or separatist colonial definitions of culture.
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- Ahmed Musa (Autor:in), 2021, Beyond Post-colonialism. The construction of Identities Through Muting and Absenting of the Other., München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1032419
