There have been many groups over the course of Human history that have asserted their positions. The two most notable are those of the feminist movement and of course the civil rights movement in the mid 20th century. Both of these parties fought for what they wanted and eventually by most means got what they wanted.
I love the term "hegemonic culture" that you used. You reference that not all sides are always on the same side. That it is "Civil Society broadens Political Participation" I think that in doing my country brief along with the readings that is clearly evident.
In Jordan and/or Morocco the political parties resemble those of the United States. They are ineffective and in some people minds they are part of the "authoritative regime itself". I think that you can see that right here at home. The Republicans and Democrats basically make for a political stalemate unless the other party agrees or if a majority of the one party is in power in congress.Contrary to western belief, Civil society in MENA region is very active.
I think that Social Media is one of the major impacts of democracy both here and abroad. Twitter and facebook are the leaders. Take the debates for instance. The "Twittosphere" went crazy with tweets that were occurring and many of those not watching the debates were able to get one liners or mistakes made by candidates. Thus twitter in a way could dictate who wins or looses to those using its interface. Which is actually quite remarkable if you think about it. You can take any world wide event, and a 21 society and twitter could be used that way, Facebook has been used in a similar way except instead of real time messages,which it can do, it has been my experience that it is more successful after said the event. MEMES are created, groups where people can argue and discuss. Pictures are posted and are commented on. Finally I think that youtube has a huge part in the democratization process. A lot of Syrian footage that the West and those outside of Syria are getting are from youtube and are amateur footage. This allows the world to see how civil society is breaking down and how action must be taken to protect those lives.
That is just one example, but the west and the middle east are not all that different.
I agree with you, but Im kind of confused as to how the women's rights have to do with your discussion of social media parallels with the West and the MENA region. Could you clarify the connection?
ReplyDelete