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Shaping the Revolution: The Role Egyptian and Tunisian Women Played in the 2011 Arab Uprisings
Abstract
In 2011, a series of uprisings took place throughout the Arab World in order to remove the authoritarian leaders that had ruled for decades. Surprising political analysts and scholars in the field, these uprisings succeeded in the removal of the authoritarian Egyptian and Tunisian dictators Hosni Mubarak and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The success of these Arab uprisings hinged on the logistical efforts that were orchestrated across the region. In this paper I investigate the role that Egyptian and Tunisian women, ages 20-40, played in the success of the Arab Spring. I define “success” as the removal of Egypt and Tunisia’s respective authoritarian dictators. I argue that without the organizational and logistical efforts of young to middle aged women, the protests that took place in 2011 would not have been as effective in shaping the political goals of the uprisings. To assess the role that women in this age range played in perpetuating/organizing the uprising, I will conduct a historiography of the usage of the social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, and blogs in order to demonstrate how these women were able to use the technological advancements of the time as a catalyst to assist them in reaching citizens in the most rural of places. Lastly, I examine these women and the unconventional role they played in shaping the political atmosphere post-revolution. Understanding the need for a political strategy if these uprisings were successful, the college educated, young to middle-age women widely contributed to the cultivation of political strategy and goals such as public diplomacy in order to provide the Egyptian and Tunisian people with a government intended to support the people. Ultimately this paper argues for sustained interest in the role of women in the shaping of Arab politics. The role of women is often overlooked by scholars which prevents an accurate historical analysis when examining momentous events in the Arab World.
Discipline
History
Geographic Area
Mediterranean Countries
Sub Area
Gender/Women's Studies