Project Director

Auchter, Jessica

Department Examiner

Jorgenson, Sara; Kuhn, Stephen; Mallet, James

Department

Dept. of Political Science, Public Administration and Nonprofit Management

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Since the ousting of the former regime and the first free and fair elections in 2011 in Tunisia, political Islamist parties have been in the majority. The ruling party did not have a mandate, which necessitated concessions. Nonetheless, religion, balanced with a history of institutional secularism enforced by a dictator, has impacted the creation of a democracy. Inequality and repression drove protestors to the streets to demand new governance. These problems, along with religion and societal norms, influence the meaning of democracy in Tunisia. This paper will explore the thin lines between religion, democracy and the everyday politics of Tunisia, most notably found in political history, citizens’ attitudes, and the implementation of a new Constitution. It will argue that Tunisia maintains democracy but not in the traditional Western understanding of institutional democracy. Instead, it combines elements of religion and polity.

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

5-2014

Subject

Tunisia--Politics and government -- 2011-; Democratization -- Tunisia; Islam and politics -- Tunisia

Location

Tunisia

Keyword

Tunisia; Democracy; Islamism; Political Islam; Democratization; Arab Spring

Discipline

Political Science

Document Type

Theses

Extent

55 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

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