Arab women are often portrayed as in need of saving from the conditions they live in. This narrative takes away the possibility of these women to be agents of change in their own lives. This thesis...Show moreArab women are often portrayed as in need of saving from the conditions they live in. This narrative takes away the possibility of these women to be agents of change in their own lives. This thesis aims to explore how Saudi women push back against societal norms in literary fiction. Specifically, it investigates how Saudi female fictional characters employ different forms of agency in physical and online public spaces compared to private and women-only spaces. The close reading of segments of two fictional literary works was used to showcase how female protagonists employ different understandings of agency. These examples were then linked to real-life examples to demonstrate that fiction is strongly rooted in reality. What became clear is that there is a multiplicity of ways for Saudi women to employ agency to resist and reshape the established order and practices, and different spaces within Saudi society offer different opportunities for employing agency. Moreover, there are different types of agency employed by different types of Saudi women. Thus, Saudi women can be agents of change within Saudi society and their own lives.Show less
This research project maps out the development of Syrian civil society since the 2011 uprisings. To do so, it discusses president Bashar al-Assad's rule during the decade prior to the uprisings, to...Show moreThis research project maps out the development of Syrian civil society since the 2011 uprisings. To do so, it discusses president Bashar al-Assad's rule during the decade prior to the uprisings, to understand his contrasting policies towards and harsh repression of the independent civil society sector. Consequently, it describes the manner in which independent civil society has developed since 2011, linking it to rebel civil governance. Finally, the research project concludes with a case study of a CSO founded in 2011. The case study provides insight into the struggles and opportunities of the sector on a concrete level.Show less
The Cedar Revolution in Lebanon in 2005 was a successful example of a non-violent movement, putting an end to three decades of Syrian rule. In the uprising, public space was used in novel ways....Show moreThe Cedar Revolution in Lebanon in 2005 was a successful example of a non-violent movement, putting an end to three decades of Syrian rule. In the uprising, public space was used in novel ways. This thesis argues that this use of public space was of significant importance to reach the goal of ousting the Syrian troops. Due to the significant pre-conditions in Lebanon, which has a weak overarching national identity absence of successful reconciliation processes since the civil war, meeting in public space was essential for overcoming differences and unite around a common cause. Through using the Cedar Revolution as a case study, the thesis is aiming to illustrate how public space has been underplayed in the non-violent movement literature.Show less
After the United States invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the traditional practice known as Bacha Bazi has reemerged and has become one the most current issues in the country. Prior to the invasion,...Show moreAfter the United States invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the traditional practice known as Bacha Bazi has reemerged and has become one the most current issues in the country. Prior to the invasion, under the Taliban regime, the practice was outlawed as they associated the practice with homosexuality. However, since the removal of the Taliban regime, the practice has not only resurged, but it has been flourishing and increasing. Therefore, this thesis will highlight the factors that have contributed to the resurgence of the practice Bacha Bazi since the occupation of Afghanistan. This thesis aims at providing an outlook on the socio-cultural and political factors that have contributed to the resurgence of the Bacha Bazi since the invasion of Afghanistan.Show less
This thesis analyses the uses of nature in the creation of an Israeli national image. It traces the uses of nature from early Zionist thinking through to the modern day. It exIt examines how nature...Show moreThis thesis analyses the uses of nature in the creation of an Israeli national image. It traces the uses of nature from early Zionist thinking through to the modern day. It exIt examines how nature was used as a tool to create a nation, to claim land from Palestinians and how it has been used as a dividing factor between Ashkenazim and Mizrahim, through the kibbutz and ma'abara. Films and music are analysed in order to assess how these ideas and discourses have lasted through until the modern dayShow less
This thesis aims to look into the effects of the 2001 American intervention - both military and humanitarian - in Afghanistan on Afghan women. More precisely, it will analyze the effects of the...Show moreThis thesis aims to look into the effects of the 2001 American intervention - both military and humanitarian - in Afghanistan on Afghan women. More precisely, it will analyze the effects of the discourse around women used by the United States to justify their invasion on the agency of local women.Show less
During the Egyptian Revolution in 2011, protesters and dissident behaviour were severely condemned by agents of the state. Among the protesters were women who were subjugated to gender-specific...Show moreDuring the Egyptian Revolution in 2011, protesters and dissident behaviour were severely condemned by agents of the state. Among the protesters were women who were subjugated to gender-specific violence to the criticism of many Egyptians. As awareness of misconduct towards women grew during the Egyptian revolution, it can be argued that the revolution also instigated a shift in thinking about the role of women in Egyptian society, since it opened up a new space for women to express themselves in the process of self-definition. Therefore, I will argue that a gendered analysis of the revolution will help us understand resistance better while interrogating the gender-dynamics in revolutionary Egypt. Hence, I will investigate how the revolution contributed to a shift in the construction of gender roles for women in Egypt. The research problem is understanding how the previously assigned gender roles, framed by nationalist ideologies, played a role in the way women were treated during the public protests. In order to answer this question, I will focus on Egypt under Mubarak and under the SCAF who reigned until 2012. Secondly, I will investigate the role of the state, its patriarchal character and its adherence to a security regime. Thirdly, I will analyse how women protesters were changing the status quo by their acts of protest and how it provoked a different way of thinking about women. The latter, has been aided by female graffiti artists too who used their graffiti as a way of 'speaking back'. This will be contextualised by an analysis of a selection of graffiti made by women during the Egyptian Revolution.Show less
Migration has been one of the most prevailing issues in European public, political and academic debate over the last few years. Due to its specific geographical location within Europe and its...Show moreMigration has been one of the most prevailing issues in European public, political and academic debate over the last few years. Due to its specific geographical location within Europe and its reputation as a stable welfare state, Austria has become an important country of asylum. Today, it is one of the European countries which hosts most asylum seekers relative to its population. At the same time, politically and legally, Austria embodies one of the most conservative integration regimes in Western Europe. At a societal level, integration is widely negatively connoted―especially with reference to Muslim immigrants―and islamophobia and hostility towards Muslims has increased. In the light of the recent inflow of migrants from Muslim-majority countries, Austria seems to be forced to effectively engage with the adoption of integration measures that fit a country of immigration with sensibility towards the general public’s islamophobic tendencies. To investigate into the topic further, my thesis aims at covering integration from three perspectives: the role of the Austrian government, the predominant perceptions of Austria's society and of immigrants from the Middle East, including my own data collection. My thesis therefore focuses on the following question: What are some of the legal, political and socio-cultural aspects that have influenced and determined the integration process of Middle Eastern immigrants in Austria since 9/11?Show less
Besides strong physical presence in Israeli society, the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) symbolic presence in society is even more pervasive through constant transmission of its prominent values,...Show moreBesides strong physical presence in Israeli society, the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) symbolic presence in society is even more pervasive through constant transmission of its prominent values, embodied by the concept of strategic culture. This paper analyses the process of cultural transmission, performed by the IDF, within the framework of militarized socialization. Arguably, the process of militarized socialization underwent a shift from the use of military education as the main vehicle for socialization, to the use of religion as a vehicle for socialization and as an identity marker of the Israeli military as a whole. The gradual return of religion to the ranks may have important implications for the development of Israeli society, as well as for the course of the prolonged Israeli-Palestinian conflict in terms of decreased chances of rapprochement between the two parties.Show less
