The Hegemonic Bourguibist Discourse on Modernity in Post-revolutionary Tunisia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6160773 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mathilde Zederman (SOAS University of London, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 2-3 |
| Pages | 179-200 |
| Publication date | 2016-11-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Middle East Law and Governance (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1876-3367 • E-ISSN: 1876-3375 |
| Publisher | Brill (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1163/18763375-00802004 |
| OpenAlex | W2563275541 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 9 |
This article examines the continued resonance of Bourguibist discourses on modernity within Tunisia, how his political legacy continues to serve as a point of reference for diverse political movements, and therefore seeks to question how this conceptualization of modernity remains hegemonic. I posit that the national narrative of “modernity” conveyed by Bourguiba in the post-independence era should be understood as an arena of struggle over power and identity, and accordingly that both serve to shed light on how collective memory is mobilized as a political idiom to legitimise certain ideological agendas and views on what is deemed the “right” Tunisian national identity. With specific reference to Ennahda and Nidaa Tounes, I argue that understanding the prevailing political and social scene of post-revolutionary Tunisia necessitates examination of the social construction of Bourguiba, how he has come to be “mythologised” in order to generate support at a national level, and more importantly how this functions within broader discursive strategies towards power. In seeking to move beyond the current binarism that situates Islamists and so-called “secularists” (supposedly heirs of Bourguibism) in opposition, this study seeks to demonstrate the commonalities within their respective appropriations of the Bourguibist legacy in the post-revolutionary context, and thereby to elucidate how his normative heritage serves as a touchstone for seemingly contradictory ideological currents
Aesthetics · Conceptualization · Hegemony · Ideology · Modernity · Narrative · National identity · Normative · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Gender Studies · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Multiculturalism, Politics, Migration, Gender · Philosophy · Political and Social Issues
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2025 (8) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |