State-society relations and industrial sustainable growth: The case of post-Revolution Tunisia
Mohamed Ismail Sabri, State-society relations and industrial sustainable growth: The case of post-Revolution Tunisia, in Sustainable Development, 2023, pp. 1-19. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sd.2746 or https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2746
Dr. Mohamed Ismail Sabry is alumni of the IFG IV Resources and Sustainability and published the article “State-society relations and industrial sustainable growth: The case of post-Revolution Tunisia”, in the journal Sustainable Development.
This paper investigates the effect of state-society relations (SSR) in the industrial sector on the sustainable economic growth of post-Revolution Tunisia. The empirical part of the paper depends mainly on qualitative data collected from fieldwork interviews with the most important actors and publications of civil society organizations. The paper suggests the presence of state capture as the defining characteristic of SSR in post-Revolution Tunisia. The combination of having powerful tycoons, weaker state, and ineffectively organized social actors produced conditions that harmed sustainability. These settings allowed tycoons to violate environmental regulations and prevented Green innovation through the adoption of Green technologies. Yet, factors such as low value-added creation, increased labor-intensity, and low environmental awareness or prioritization all interact with state capture to lower sustainability. In those sectors where tycoons are active and dominant, competing social actors are incapable of effectively exploiting the presence of a freer political system, ultimately failing to successfully organize resisting coalitions, as evident in the textile sector. While higher resistance is witnessed where tycoons are not dominant as was the case in the phosphate sector, tycoons could still use the situation to their advantage.
For more information and to download the paper: Link1, Link 2
Why Ibn Khaldun is still relevant today?
Khaled Kchir (Prof. of Medieval History ; Faculty of Human and Social Sciences – University of Tunis / MECAM’s Director).
MECAM inaugurates a new phase in its commitment to promoting social science research in the Maghreb, the Mashreq, and beyond. We actively collaborate with researchers from diverse backgrounds who delve into a variety of subjects. One of our main goals is to enrich the ongoing debate on the Global South while highlighting the voices that have long been neglected in our region. This video, created with Professor Khaled Kchir, aims to unveil the significance of Ibn Khaldûn, whose influence, though profound, is often underestimated today.
As a Professor of Medieval History at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences of the University of Tunis, and one of the two directors of MECAM, Professor Kchir focuses on the in-depth study of Ibn Khaldûn’s work. The latter is frequently hailed as the pioneer of modern sociology due to his pivotal role in the study of local societies and their evolution. In this interview, Professor Kchir sheds light on Ibn Khaldûn’s substantial impact in the past, his current importance, and his relevance as a model for the future.
We delve into Ibn Khaldûn’s major contributions to our understanding of human societies and urbanization. We discover how this 14th-century scholar continues to influence contemporary research and how his methodology can provide a fresh and dynamic perspective on our present and future. This video is an invitation to explore Ibn Khaldûn’s intellectual legacy, which continues to illuminate our reflections on human societies and their complex dynamics.
Green banks in Tunisia: Issues and challenges
Nadia Mansour, Green banks in Tunisia: Issues and challenges in Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development 7(2): 2099, 2023. doi: 10.24294/jipd.v7i2.
Mansour N (2023). Green banks in Tunisia: Issues and challenges. Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development 7(2): 2099. doi: 10.24294/jipd.v7i2.
We are happy to announce that IFG IV “Resources and Sustainability” alumnus Dr. Nadia Mansour has published the article “Green banks in Tunisia: Issues and challenges” in the Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development.
This paper explores the development of the concept of “green banks” in Tunisia, focusing on the role of regulators and the central bank in ensuring this transmission. The paper also examines the involvement of banks in the green economic transition and the various challenges.
For more information and to download the paper: [Download].
Come and Land in Algiers’: Events of 22 October 1956 in International Law
Elizabeth Bishop, Come and Land in Algiers’: Events of 22 October 1956 in International Law, AlNaciriya: Journal of sociological and historical Studies, Vol. 14 N° 1 June 2023, pp. 12 – 41.
We are thrilled to announce the release of a groundbreaking article by Dr. Elizabeth Bishop, an alumna of IFG V on Identities and Beliefs, entitled « Come and Land in Algiers’: Events of 22 October 1956 in International Law ». On October 20, 1956, Prince Moulay Hassan of Morocco flew to Tétouan, bringing back five men to Rabat. Two days later, these men boarded a plane with plans to declare independence for an Algerian state. However, conflicting claims emerged regarding the legal aspects of their actions.
This thought-provoking article delves into the historical context and examines the complexities surrounding this event. By shedding light on various perspectives, it seeks to unravel the legal implications and spark meaningful discussions among scholars and history enthusiasts.
For more details, access the full article: [Download].
Coopération internationale : Centre de recherche MECAM
Julius Dihstelhoff, Coopération internationale : Centre de recherche MECAM, in Joussour, Revue de l’Université de Tunis, Vol 1, Février 2023, pp. 34-38.
MECAM is pleased to announce the publication of the article entitled “Coopération internationale: Centre de recherche MECAM” in the journal of the University of Tunis Joussour.
The article discusses the role played by the University of Tunis in the co-creation of MECAM, introduces the research centre, and reviews the preliminary phase of the centre 2020-2023, before embarking on its main phase for the next six years.
For more information [Download].
Rethinking Islamism beyond jihadi violence: Fighting ideas leaving the sword aside
Julius Dihstelhoff, German Approaches to the Muslim Brotherhood Between Domestic and Foreign Policy, in Elisa Orofino (ed.), Rethinking Islamism beyond jihadi violence: Fighting ideas leaving the sword aside, Vernon Press, 2023.
Dr. Julius Dihstelhoff, Academic Coordinator at the Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM), participated with a chapter on “German Approaches to the Muslim Brotherhood Between Domestic and Foreign Policy” in the recently published edited volume by Vernon Press entitled “Rethinking Islamism beyond jihadi violence: Fighting ideas leaving the sword aside” edited by Elisa Orofino. In this chapter the history of Germany and the Muslim Bortherhood (MB) is analysed. Based on content analysis, central discourses of representatives of German politics as well as MB representatives are explored.
“The edited volume “Rethinking Islamism beyond jihadi violence” makes an important contribution to the scholarship on contemporary Islam and in particular the contested and often misunderstood issue of Islamism. Offering critical, nuanced and differentiated perspectives, the various chapters and the book as a whole examine the theological-historical origin and practices of non-violent Islamism, challenging common misconceptions that position it in (too) close proximity to jihadist violence.” Dr. Mario Peucker
For more information and to buy the book [ online ].
Tunesiens undemokratisches Wahlgesetz
Julius Dihstelhoff/ Mounir Mrad, Tunesiens undemokratisches Wahlgesetz, F.A.Z. Einspruch, 27.01.2023.
The article covers three key issues that contribute to the decline of parliamentarism: the electoral law, the draft constitution and the political opposition.
Explanations and examples are given to show why and to what extent the enormous restructuring of the electoral law contributes to the decline of parliamentarism. The article also analyses the new constitution, based on the draft constitution of Tunisian President Kais Saied, and discusses the restrictions on the legislature and the simultaneous expansion of the executive’s power. The political opposition is seen as an indirect actor contributing to the decline of parliamentarism, not least because of its lack of mobilising power.
F.A.Z. Einspruch is the daily offer of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung for lawyers and all those interested in the topics of justice and the law. At the interface between specialist newspaper and information medium. F.A.Z. Einspruch focuses on selected reports, commentaries and analyses from the F.A.Z. universe on current legal and tax topics, written by F.A.Z. editors and renowned columnists with legal expertise.
For more information and to read the essays online.
[Download].
IFG V: Film Projects in the context of “Identities and Beliefs”
How does a social scientist, habituated to written communication, translate their ideas to a visual medium?
This was the challenge posed to the fellows of MECAM’s IFG V on “Identities and Beliefs”, when they participated in a methods school on documentary filmmaking in May 2022. Conceptualized and led by the incomparable Sarra Abidi, the workshop paired participating researchers up with an accomplished documentary filmmaker, who guided them in creating a short film based on their research. Working together, and often collaborating with others along the way, each pair navigated three distinct phases of filmmaking: conceptualization of the narrative, shooting on location, and post-production. The resulting films reflect a special alchemy, produced from the collaboration of creative minds with disparate working methods.A special thanks to filmmakers Sarra Abidi and Ahmed Jlassi for their hard work and brilliance as mentors.
Link: Film entitled “The UGEMA in Tunis” by Elizabeth Bishop
*The UGEMA in Tunis – a comment by Elizabeth Bishop*
As a historian, I’m used to communicating in texts of four or six thousand words with lots of footnotes. It seemed like a challenge to fit the kind of analysis I do best in five minutes of film, and I’m glad Alyssa Miller (postdoctoral research fellow at GIGA, and scientific coordinator for IFG V) posed it. Ahmed Jlassi and I used historical images from Algiers and Tunis, as well as footage we filmed in Tunis, to tell the story of how the French Fourth Republic excluded Algerians from higher education, and how in the Republic of Tunisia between 1955 and 1962 students of UGEMA built futures for themselves and their nation.
Fieldnotes from Bhar Lazreg: Research Methods from the Margins of Tunis
Shreya Parikh, an alumna of IFG V on Identities and Beliefs, has organized the publication of an essay series on Jadaliyya, introduced by an essay written by Parikh herself. The series showcases field observations made by student ethnographers at the École Nationale d’Architecture et d’Urbanisme (ENAU, National School of Architecture and Urbanism) in Sidi Bou Said, in the context of a methods workshop led by Parikh and Professor Cyrine Bouajila in March and April 2022.
The essays reflect the students’ ethnographic encounter with the fieldsite of Bhar Lazreg, an urban neighborhood located in close proximity to La Marsa (a desirable Northern suburb of Tunis), but which is commonly coded in contrast as “dangerous,” “disordered,” and inhabited by Sub-Saharan migrants (and therefore racially black). Seeking to overcome such negative and stigmatizing associations, the students approached Bhar Lazreg and its inhabitants as producers of knowledge in their own right. Setting forth without imposing a strict set of research questions from the outset, the resulting essays not only provide the reader insight on the lifeworlds of Bhar Lazreg, but they offer an honest glimpse of the ethnographic affects (of timidness, doubt, uncertainty) that researchers commonly experience in the early stages of field research, but rarely discuss.
For more information and to read the essays online.
The Post-Arab Spring Social Contract in Tunisia: Social Actors’ Comparative Gains and Losses
Mohamed Ismail Sabri, The Post-Arab Spring Social Contract in Tunisia: Social Actors’ Comparative Gains and Losses, October 26, 2022. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4259102 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4259102
Dr. Mohamed Ismail Sabry is alumni of the IFG IV Resources and Sustainability and published the working paper “The Post-Arab Spring Social Contract in Tunisia: Social Actors’ Comparative Gains and Losses”, which was presented at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) in August 2022.
This paper is investigating what are the comparative gains/losses of the different considered social actors in Tunisia from the new post-2011 Social Contract (SC)? The SC is perceived as a product of the prevailing state-society relations and power relations between the main actors in the Tunisian industrial sector. These actors are identified as: the state, big businesspersons (tycoons), businesspeople of small and medium enterprises (entrepreneurs), and labor. The comparative gains/losses of these actors are investigated in terms of two broad contested policy fields: competition and social protection to workers.
For more information and to download the paper.
Eine neue Verfassung für Tunesien? Es droht ein autoritärer Drift!
Julius Dihstelhoff/Mounir Mrad, Eine neue Verfassung für Tunesien? Es droht ein autoritärer Drift!, F.A.Z. Einspruch, 18.07.2022.
This article analyses the draft constitution submitted by the President of the Tunisian Republic Kais Said to a referendum on 25 July 2022 with a focus on the separation of powers, rights and freedoms and the role of religion. Furthermore, the article compares the draft constitution with the vision promoted by Kais Said before his ascension to power, to determine the differences with this vision. The article concludes that the new constitution, which came into force on 25 July 2022, establishes a new political model for Tunisia that lays the framework for a return to an authoritarian presidential system. Although the constitution is presented as a panacea for all the country’s serious problems, this constitutional re-foundation of the state would not be sufficient to solve the country’s multiple crises. F.A.Z also spoke to Dr. Julius Dihstelhoff in its “Einspruch-podcast”.
F.A.Z. Einspruch is the daily offer of the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung for lawyers and all those who are interested in topics concerning law and legislation. At the interface of specialist journal and news medium, F.A.Z. Einspruch focuses in terms of content on selected reports, commentaries and analyses from the world of F.A.Z. on current legal and tax topics, written by F.A.Z. editors and renowned columnists with legal expertise.
[Download].
Destination North Africa Syrians’ displacement trajectories to Tunisia
Entanglements of the Maghreb: Cultural and Political Aspects of a Region in Motion
Julius Dihstelhoff/Charlotte Pardey/Rachid Ouaissa/FriederikePannewick (ed.), Entanglements of the Maghreb: Cultural and Political Aspects of a Region in Motion, Bielefeld: transcript, 2021.
The impulse for the recent transformations in the Arab world came from the Maghreb. Research on the region has been on the rise since, yet much remains to be done when it comes to interdisciplinary comparative research. The Maghreb is a heterogeneous region that deserves thorough investigation. This volume focuses on Entanglements as a cross-field and cross-lingual concept to generate a new approach to the region and its inner interdependencies as well as exchanges with other regions. Eminent researchers conceptualize Entanglements through the description of various thematic fields and actors in motion, addressing culture, politics, social affairs and economics.
Book Review on TRAFO – Blog for Transregional Research, 02.11.2021 [English version | French version].