Narratives of Insecurity, Democratization and the Justification of (Mass) Violence
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Westminster
Department Name: Sch of Social Sci, Humanities & Language
Abstract
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People |
ORCID iD |
| Abdelwahab El-Affendi (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Publications
El-Affendi A
(2012)
Revolutionary anatomy: the lessons of the Sudanese revolutions of October 1964 and April 1985
in Contemporary Arab Affairs
El-Affendi A
(2015)
Abducting Modernity: Boko Haram, Gender Violence and the Marketplace of Bigotry
in Hawwa
El-Affendi A
(2012)
The Souls of Muslim Folk The "Obama Phenomenon" and the Paradoxes of Paranoid anti-Multiculturalism
in American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences
El-Affendi A
(2017)
Democratic Transitions in the Arab World
El-Affendi A
(2018)
Political Islam and Democracy in the Muslim World By Paul Kubicek
in Journal of Islamic Studies
El-Affendi A
(2011)
Constituting Liberty, Healing the Nation: revolutionary identity creation in the Arab world's delayed 1989
in Third World Quarterly
El-Affendi, A
(2010)
Afrika - 23 afrikaner om vägval och utmaningar
El-Affendi, A
(2010)
Towards a Historical 'Democratic Bloc' in the Arab Countries
| Description | Eurocentrim and its Alternatives |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A presentation at the session 'Eurocentrim, Global Stories, and Justice', Istanbul World Forum, 13-14 October 2012 The paper argues that the Arab Spring represents a triumph of Eurocentrism, and not its final demise, as has been argued It is difficult to gauge the impact of such mass events, where hundreds of internationally recognised intellectuals take part and it receives mass media coverage. But it is safe to say it was not minor |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://files.setav.org/uploads/Pdf/iwf_program_en.pdf |
| Description | Islam, Secularism and Democracy: Rethinking State Neutrality |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
| Results and Impact | A paper presented at the symposium on Religion and State in the Arab World, organised by Centre for Arab Unity Studies and the Swedish Institute in Alexandria, Hammamet, Tunisia, 15-17 October 2012. The paper argued that the shift of debates in the Arab world to disputes over the meaning of secularism instead of over the meaning of religion is itself an indication of a significant shift in the norms governing Arab politics. The meaning of religion has come to be defined by the secular state and its contests. The meeting was attended by leading thinkers and policy makers in the Arab world, including leading politicians from Libya and Tunisia and policy-relevant issues were discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Islamists in Power: Sudan as an Example |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | a presentation at the conference: Political Islam: Options and Policies. Al-Jazeera Centre for Studies, Doha, 23-24 February 2010. Event was broadcast live and watched by million. Many stakeholders and leading intellectuals present, received numerous favourable comments from the actual and virtual audience and still do. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| Description | Multiculturalism, Secularism and the Problem of Tolerance |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
| Results and Impact | A presentation at the conference: Encounter with Charles Taylor, organized by the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster, London, 15 January 2010. This was a high level exchange with top international thinkers |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| URL | http://www.westminster.ac.uk/csd/events/an-encounter-with-charles-taylor |
| Description | Overcoming Induced Insecurities: Stabilising Arab Democracies after the Spring |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
| Results and Impact | Workshop to discuss contributions to forthcoming book on transition to democracy in Arab world. This is the tile of my chapter in that book. A planned publications was going to be updated and improved as a result of the workshop |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Overcoming the Fear of Democracy: The Future of Sudan after the Separation of the South |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A presentation made at the seminar: "The Future of Northern Sudan after Separation", organized by the United Nations Mission in Sudan, Khartoum, 28 March 2011. Audience was mainly UN and AU diplomats working in Sudan plus selected Sudanese experts Was invited to take part in future consultations and share publications |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | Prospects for Democratic Transformation after the Arab Spring |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A public lecture delivered at the Alexandria Library Cairo campus. The lecture discussed the fears expressed by various groups regarding the intentions of others. In particular, the fears of secular groups of Islamist dominance and worries of Islamists about foreign interference. It argued that most of the scenarios peddled are an exaggeration, and there is a need for more measured discourse to help the transition along. There were also some interesting -and rather worried- questions and intervnetions from th audience Audience was very engaged and requests for future engagement were made |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Questions about the Stability of the Sudanese State |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar presentation made to the Sudan Working Group, United States Institute of Peace The presentation to a selected audience of experts and policymakers disucssed the challenges facing reform and peacemaking in Sudan and how they could best be addressed. The presentation to a selected audience of experts and policymakers disucssed the challenges facing reform and peacemaking in Sudan and how they could best be addressed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Racism with a Religious Veneer: Islamophobia as a Displacement or Continuation of Anti-Semitism? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A paper presented at the conference: Confronting anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, organized by the Joseph Interfaith Foundation, at SOAS, London, November 10, 2009. Asked to take part in future related activities and did so in due time |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| URL | http://www.josephinterfaithfoundation.org/joseph-main/previous/confronting.php |
| Description | Secularism, Science and Democracy: The need for a new thinking |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a public lecture delivered at Sehir University in Istanbul. it was argued in the lecture that some prominent thinkers have recently been arguing that science signalled the banishment of religion from public life, and secularism is the practical implementation of this, while democracy can only be secured if secularism is strictly enforced, even in private life. However, what is common to science, secularism and democracy is the modesty of claims made: science progresses by limiting the areas to be investigated, secularism limits the area that should be left outside religious contentions, and democracy works on consensus of all those invovled. Any attempts to turn science into a dogma, or secularism into other religion, or democracy on a doctrine that has to be imposed by force, ends up by destroying its nature and value. In Turkey, for example, where 'secularism' has been practically adopted as state religion, the requirement of separation of religion and the state should be applied also to the separation of 'secularism' and the state Audience made mainly of students, who expressed appreciation and acquired copies of my books. Post-graduate students asked for assistance, which was provided or promised |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Sudan after the Arab Spring: Opening Up or Blowing UP? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A public lecture delivered at Qatar University, Doha, 27 December 2012. The lecture argued that Sudan was now at the cross-roads, with alternative scenarios that can be summed up as opening up to incorporate various forces and sections of opinion, or descending into bitter conflict that threatens a new break-up A number of students asked for further information and help and information. One student in fact came specifically from another Gulf country to attend the talk |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | The Arab Crisis and the Future of Islamism |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation to an international audience of key researchers, policymakers an others focusing on the nature of the current crisis in Arab Spring countries, in particular Egypt, and what this reveals about the role and function of Islamist groups. Researchers and policymakers expressed keen interests in debate and invitations to future participation were extended |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://fsi.stanford.edu/events/political_change_in_the_arab_world_internal_dynamics_and_regional_act... |
| Description | The Arab Spring: Challenges to Democratization and Nation Building |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
| Results and Impact | A presentation at the Achebe Colloquium, Brown University, 3-4 December, 2011. It was a great opportunity to discuss the challenges facing Africa and the Arab world with towering figures such as Achebe and Mazrui and Chief Emeka Anyaoku. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| URL | https://news.brown.edu/articles/2011/11/achebe |
| Description | The Arab Spring: Islamist Revolution or Revolution within Islamism? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A seminar presentation in the seminar series 'Beyond the Arab Spring', organised by Centre for Islamic Studies, the Centre for the International Relations of the Middle East and North Africa at the Department of Politics and International Studies, and King's College at the University of Cambridge Approached by two students for assistance and received invitations for future events |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://www.cis.cam.ac.uk/lectures/post/13-lent-2012 |
| Description | The Elections and Prospects for Democratic Transformation in Sudan", "The Elections and Prospects for Democratic Transformation in Sudan", |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A presentation delivered to the staff of United Nations Mission in Sudan This was a briefing given at the request of UNMIS on the prospects for a successful democratic transition following the elections scheduled for April 2010 This was a briefing given at the request of UNMIS on the prospects for a successful democratic transition following the elections scheduled for April 2010 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | The Ikhwan Re-Evaluated: The Brotherhood and the Challenge of 'Democratising' Religion in Turbulent Times |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Paper presented at Beirut seminar, reflecting on the current Egyptian crisis and the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in it, and probable solutions. The seminar was attended by activists and intellectuals from Egypt and other Arab countries. The presentation was made in Arabic This was a very stimulating discussion between leading Arab thinkers on very contentious issues. The exchanges were vigorous and some agreement was reached, but not among all |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | The North-South Relations after the 2011 Referendum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A seminar presentation made at the University on Khartoum, open to students, staff and policy makers Academics and policy-makers attending agreed to take part in initiatives to promote unity and support the peace process using some of the ideas discussed |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| Description | The Politics of Paranoia: The Role of Self-Reinforcing Perceptions of Insecurity in Radicalisation and De-Radicalisation Narratives |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
| Results and Impact | A Paper Presented to the Conference: Rethinking Jihad, University of Edinburgh, 7-9, September 2009 An exciting exchange of view with key experts from around the world |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| URL | http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/News-and-Events/Events/Pages/Rethinking-Jihad-Ideas-Politics-and-conflict-in-t... |
| Description | The Politics of the North after the Referendum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a presentation at a seminar organised by Al-Jazeera Centre for Studies in Doha, attended by leading figures from North and South Sudan and broadcast live on Aljazeera. The paper discussed prospects for political reform in the North of Sudan after the separation, which appeared inevitable This was an international meeting, which was broadcast live for international audiences, and was watched by stakeholders in Sudan. It was also attended by key representatives of stakeholders. The debate was thus of direct and very wide impact |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | The Religious and the Profane in Human Conflict |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | A presentation at the debate: Religion and Politics: is Faith a Force for Change or Conservatism?, organized by the Global Uncertainties Network, Graveney School, London, 3 March 2009. This was a debate in front of school students and included a debate on what role religion plays in conflicts This was a debate in front of school students and included a debate on what role religion plays in conflicts |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| Description | The Revolution within Islamism? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A presentation made at The Middle East Symposium: One Year on from the Arab Spring, Organised by the European Research Institute, University of Birmingham. The paper made the argument that the Arab revolutions were only made possible by fundmental changes within Islamist groups I was approached by two PhD students seeking help with their studies, which I agreed to provide, and was also approached by one academic suggesting collaboration, which I agreed to consider |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | The Sectarian Menace in the Middle East: The Other 'Samson Option' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
| Results and Impact | Keynote Speech delivered at the "International Congress on Civilizations" on 19 January 2014 Was invited by university VC and other senior academics to assist with future programmes and discuss collaboration. Speech was published later |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.medeniyet.edu.tr/content/userfiles/20142908/medeniyet%20ara%C5%9Ft%C4%B1rmalar%C4%B1%20de... |
| Description | The Wars in the Two Sudans: Implications for Africa |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A presentation at a conference on conflict in Africa which this author helped to organise. It touches on the conflict which erupted between Sudan and South Sudan in the wake of the 2011 secession, and what implications the conflict would have for Africa Event was broadcast live and received good media coverage |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/events/2013/09/20139158138907318.htm |
| Description | Towards constructive communication : taking the poison out of language |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at the UNMIS Symposium on Unity and Self-Determination, Khartoum, Sudan: 2-3 November 2009 Most of those present agreed to prioritize constructive media messages to help peace process |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| Description | Transition into the Unknown: Theorising the Arab Transition into Uncharted Territory |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
| Results and Impact | A paper exploring the difficulties of theorising transition to democracy after the Arab Spring, submitted to the Third Social Sciences Conference, organised in Tunisia by the Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies no specific impact, apart from contribution to the debate on transition |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Turkey and the Idea of Europe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A seminar presentation made to a chosen audience of academics and journalists, involving a question and answer session about identity, religion and the relationship between Turkey and Europe Two press and television interviews and more queries. Lecture posted on Youtube |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_u20O672LY |
| Description | Varieties of Revolution |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at the Festival of Ideas' Arab Spring Event, Cambridge Union, 26 October, 2011 The presentation discussed the role of Islamist parties in the Arab Spring and its aftermath and the fears they provoke outside and inside Egypt, arguing that democracy can work only if accommodation is found for all groups The presentation discussed the role of Islamist parties in the Arab Spring and its aftermath and the fears they provoke outside and inside Egypt, arguing that democracy can work only if accommodation is found for all groups |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |