Politics of North Africa

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course is in line with a comparative study of the post-colonial politics of the North African region – specifically the states of Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. It aims at providing a thorough overview of present-day North Africa with an emphasis on the field of politics and society. The course examines key issues such as ideology, national belief systems, the nature of political trends (i.e., authoritarian persistence and struggle for democracy), political actors, Islamist politics, economic challenges, transitional justice, sub-national identity (i.e., Amazighness and Berberness), and people grassroots politics, among other issues. It offers in-depth insight into the political development and contrasting trajectories of North African countries experienced during and in the post 2010-11 Arab uprisings. Additionally, it sheds light on the difficulties facing the political transitional processes and persistent challenges that these countries have been facing since 2011. Finally, the course assesses the region’s interaction with key external actors chief among them the European Union as well as the United States.