Arab Society
Arab Society (2005) Fall 2020 Due date: December 15, 2020 to be submitted via turnitin.com and blackboard by midnight *SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS TIME Please answer ONLY ONE of the following questions: Length: answer for your selected question should be within 800-1000 words, double-spaced, 12 pt, with a bibliography following whichever citation style you feel most comfortable with. You should use two sources to answer your question As a result of several structural social, economic and political conditions, Arab cities have witnessed processes of urban change. More often than not, such changes have worked in favour of the Arab elites at the expense of the urban poor. Substantiate this claim with evidence from readings we covered under the theme of urbanism and change in the Arab City (tip: material covered Mike Davis’ Fear and Money in Dubai, Aseel Sawalha’s Downtown Beirut the Ancient City of the Future). In “Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East”, Asef Bayat argues that streets are “arenas for the extension of collective sentiments. It is this pandemic potential that threatens the authorities who exert pervasive power over the public space”. This observation has been mirrored in various studies about citizens who belong to the Arab world. Substantiate Bayat’s argument with evidence from the material discussed (tip: use at least two groups e.g. Palestinians, Ultras, Labor groups). BONUS question (2%) What is your favorite text covered in class and why? (exclude those covered in the main question)
