Development & Revolution

Professor Gilbert Achcar

This lecture examined the underpinnings of the revolutionary process ignited in North Africa and the Middle East in December 2010, in order to assess its potential future course. It critically discussed various explanations of the Arab uprising that attribute it to political causes, the economic conjuncture, or economic policies. The lecture related the Arab uprising to structural social features that have been blocking development for decades in the region. It then assessed what can be inferred from the identification of these factors with regard to the dynamics and future of the ongoing process.

Gilbert Achcar's Inaugural Lecture - Development and Revolution - The Roots of the Arab Uprising

Gilbert Achcar joined SOAS as Professor of Development Studies and International Relations in 2007. Before London, he taught or researched in Beirut, Paris and Berlin. His recent books include The Clash of Barbarisms: The Making of the New World Disorder (2002, 2nd ed. 2006, translated into thirteen languages); Perilous Power: The Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy, co-authored with Noam Chomsky (2006, 2nd ed. 2007); and the critically acclaimed The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives (2010). His next book, The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising, will come out in the spring of 2013.

Professor Gilbert Achcar's webpage

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