Kicking off the Ali Vural Ak Center’s Spring 2012 guest lectures, Daniel Brumberg from the United States Institute of Peace visited Mason on April 10 to discuss the challenges Islamist movements face in the shifting political climates of the Arab world.
Brumberg opened his presentation, titled “Islamists and Identity Politics in the Arab Spring”, by outlining the growing divisions between Islamist parties and different political forces in Arab countries currently transitioning into democracy. While noting that these political debates are not exclusively between religious and secularist movements, pointing to disagreements between rival Islamist parties themselves within Tunisia and Egypt as key examples, he stressed the sensitive nature of developing democratic governments while grappling with questions of identity in the political arena.
“We have in the region a series of identity conflicts that vary in terms of the particular cleavage we’re talking about,” Brumberg stated. “The challenge throughout the region is to see how and in what ways these cleavages can be remedied through, rather than against, the democratic process.”
To watch Daniel Brumberg’s full lecture, follow the link on the right.
The Center’s next guest lecture featured Carrie Wickham from Emory University giving a talk titled “Islamist Movement Change in the Arab World: Egypt in Comparative Perspective” on May 1. For more details, click here.