Enduring Class Struggle in Tunisia: The Fight for Identity beyond Political Islam

• Published in: British journal of Middle Eastern studies Vol. 42; no. 1; pp. 74 - 87
• Main Author: Merone, Fabio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Exeter Routledge 02.01.2015; Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Class; Independence; Islam; Islamism; Middle class; Political mobilization; Political power; Political systems; Politics; Power; Secularism; Social classes; Social exclusion; Social identity; Tunisia; Tunisia
• ISSN: 1353-0194; 1469-3542
• DOI: 10.1080/13530194.2015.973188

This article examines the emergence of Salafism and the post-Ben Ali process of institution-building through the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion that have their origin in the Bourguibian period. While Al-Nahda compromised with opposition secular parties accomplishing the integration of a moderate Islamist middle-class excluded from power since independence, continuous political mobilisation and urban revolt in parallel with the liberalisation of the public space gave birth to a new radical Islamic subject, Ansar al-Sharia, which represents disenfranchised lower classes that remain excluded from enjoying the benefits of the revolution. The article highlights how this exclusion is in continuity with Tunisia's modern history, where the threat of radical Islamism has often been deployed to mystify social class exclusion.