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The Secular Shift in Values in the Post-Arab Spring
Abstract by Dr. Mansoor Moaddel On Session 023  (Egypt since 2011)

On Thursday, November 14 at 5:30 pm

2019 Annual Meeting

Abstract
The Secular Shift in Values in the Post-Arab Spring Sparked by the self-immolation of a Tunisian street vendor on December 17, 2010, the peaceful revolutionary movements of the Arab Spring managed to overthrow entrenched dictators in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya in less than one year. While the survey of nationally representative samples of Egyptians and Tunisians showed that the majority of respondents believed that the goals of the Arab Spring were democracy and economic prosperity, the movements for democratic change failed in these countries, except for Tunisia. Despite this failure, this paper argues that the liberal ideas that shaped the Arab Spring have continued to expand not only in Egypt and Tunisia, but in Turkey, a non-Arab country, as well, as shown by findings from two waves of a panel survey in these countries. In Egypt, of a nationally representative sample of 3,496 adults interviewed in 2011, 2,430 of the same respondents were re-interviewed in 2016 (70% response rate). In Tunisia, of a nationally representative sample of 3,070 respondents interviewed in 2013, 2,395 were re-interviewed in 2015 (78% response rate). In Turkey, of a nationally representative sample of 3,019 adults interviewed in 2013, 1,682 were re-interviewed in 2016 (56% response rate). The data from the two waves revealed a pattern of change in respondents’ cultural outlooks toward secular politics, religious tolerance, gender equality, and national identity across the three countries. A significantly higher percentage of the respondents in the second wave supported the separation of religion and politics, considered Western form of government desirable for their country, were less favorable toward Islamic government and the Sharia, displayed a greater religious tolerance, indicated greater support for gender equality and national identity than they did in the first wave of the survey. This paper concludes by entertaining the possibility for the rise of liberal nationalist movements as a serious alternative to the existing polity in these countries.
Discipline
Sociology
Geographic Area
Egypt
Sub Area
19th-21st Centuries