Omran in its 14th cycle
The ACRPS has published the fourteenth edition of its peer-reviewed social sciences and humanities journal, Omran. The October 2015 edition includes six Arabic language peer reviewed academic articles, the English abstracts of which are included below. Authors contributed work on a wide variety of topics ranging from torture in Palestinian legal codes, to social adaptation of North African and Turkish immigrant youth in France, to political violence in contemporary Algeria.
In addition, the latest edition includes a translation of Robin Peace’s “Social Exclusion: a Concept in Need of Definition?”, translated into Arabic by Mazen Marsoul Mohammed; a review by Mouldi Lahmar titled “The Youth of the Hecher Roundabout and the Tadamun Neighborhood in Greater Tunis”; Morad Diani’s review of Mohammad Othman Mahmoud’s “Constitutional Social Justice in Contemporary Liberal Theory”, a critique of John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice; and Natalie Salameh’s “A Reading of a Number of Seminal Texts on Revolution: the Case of the French Revolution”. Finally, this latest edition of Omran closes with a review by Munir Al Saidani of “The Tunisian Revolution through the Prism of the Social Sciences”, published by the ACRPS in October of 2014.
Copies of Omran 14 and all other ACRPS publications are available from our bookstore.
List of Abstracts
Social Adaptation and Ethnic Identity in France: Violence as a Strategic Assertion of Identity, by Azzam Amin
Political Violence in Contemporary Algeria: From Populist Ideology to Islamist Utopia, by Nouri Driss
On Values and Symbols in Torture Procedures Used on Political Prisoners in Tunisian Prisons: A Sociological Reading of Victims’ Testimonies, by Rahmah Ben Suleiman
The Problematic of Identity-based Violence in Light of Social Mobility in the Arab Region: The Case of Morocco, by Abdul Hamid Ben Khattab
A Comparative Study on Torture: Between International Human Rights Conventions and Palestinian Legislation, by Alaa Mohammad Fares Hammad
The Old City of Fez: Enhancing Accessibility, Reorganizing Transport and Mobility, by Muhammad al-Baghdadi and Hassan al-Hujami
Social Adaptation and Ethnic Identity in France: Violence as a Strategic Assertion of Identity, by Azzam Amin
Based on a sample of third generation youth of North African origin, and second generation young women and men of Turkish origin ranged from 14 to 24 years old, this field study addresses identity and belonging among French youth of Arab and Muslim descent. Specifically, it traces the psychosocial factors that lead some to "reject" French identity, and instead promote their ethnic identity. The author claims that identification with one’s ethnicity has neither to do with the individual’s desire for social integration nor with introverted identity, but is rather a defensive strategy to resist the assimilation policies imposed by France on immigrants and their offspring. Moreover, the author stresses that young people do not refuse to integrate into French society, but rather refuse to identify exclusively with it – violent behaviors are therefore an expression of this refusal. Amin argues that mechanisms of “integration” and social adaptation can be differentiated from mechanisms of full assimilation into French society.
Return to top
Political Violence in Contemporary Algeria: From Populist Ideology to Islamist Utopia, by Nouri Driss
In the West, Islam is often associated with violence, a result of accumulated history and ethnocentric discourse emerging from media and research centers lacking the theoretical and methodological tools to research violence in Muslim communities. This paper approaches this subject through the prism of political power, proceeding from the concepts of secularism and secularization. It builds on the groundwork established by a number of studies and theories on secularism. These concepts, in turn, allow the construction of a theoretical paradigm for the measurement of the extent of space available in a given society for peaceful power struggle. Applying the case of Algeria, the author examines the political factors that produced the violence of one-party rule (1962-1990) as well as the violence of the subsequent period of party pluralism. Driss concludes that the study of violence must always consider the extent or degree of secularization prevalent in the historical context in which the violence occurs, thus preventing the researcher from falling into ethno-centric discourses pretending to be scientific.
Return to top
On Values and Symbols in Torture Procedures Used on Political Prisoners in Tunisian Prisons: A Sociological Reading of Victims’ Testimonies, by Rahmah Ben Suleiman
This study conducts a sociological analysis based on testimonies from Tunisian political prisoners jailed and tortured by the former Tunisian authoritarian regime, and analyzes the mechanisms and methods of torture that prisoners underwent during their arrest and imprisonment. The author argues that methods of torture cannot be separated from the shared values, norms, and cultural symbols of the torturer and the victim. He demonstrates how processes of torture are not only physically painful, but also impact the social references, beliefs and values that make up a victim’s identity, as well as their affiliations, self-representations, and their role in society. Within this context, this study first examines theories of torture and identity. It then presents data from field studies which are examined under three main themes: torture cells and the torturer, the torture of ‘The Other’ and its ramifications in the battle of symbols and values, and the impact of torture on political prisoners, inside and outside the prison.
Return to top
The Problematic of Identity-based Violence in Light of Social Mobility in the Arab Region: The Case of Morocco, by Abdul Hamid Ben Khattab
Since the eruption of the Arab Spring, the question of identity has given rise to numerous dilemmas. One of the most pressing ones involves the balancing of expectations – specifically those which concern the balance between immediate response to the political demands for recognition of individual and collective identities and respect for basic human and collective rights, with those of the management of related security and political dangers that arise from such recognition. This dilemma exists within an Arab social and political context based essentially on the logic of personal governance on unitary lines, in contrast to a system of institutional governance based on differentiation. To understand the risks and opportunities associated with this political context, this paper considers the following: the theoretical and methodological aspects that facilitate an approach to the problem of identity as a scientific concept; the violence and security-related risks generated by the authoritarian dialectic and identity-based demands; and the possible scenarios for the management of risks associated with recognizing identities in light of international political experiments in this area such as have been seen in Spain, Italy, and France.
Return to top
A Comparative Study on Torture: Between International Human Rights Conventions and Palestinian Legislation, by Alaa Mohammad Fares Hammad
In theory, the State of Palestine has declared that it respects human rights and the rule of law, that public freedoms are to be enjoyed by Palestinians, and most importantly that Palestinians have the right to protection from torture. Despite the inclusion of such rights in the state’s Basic Law and other relevant legislation, the actual practice of rights in Palestine reflects quite a different picture. This has especially been the case amidst the internal division afflicting Palestine. Infighting has exposed citizens to torture in places of detention, whether in order to extract a confession or simply for being affiliated with a certain political party. Given the discrepancy between theory and practice, this study examines the period from the point of the political split to the time of writing, and first aims to reveal the scope and type of violations. It then examines the underlying reasons and motivations for such violations, and recommends action that would see their curtailment. Finally, it recommends the need to further study the legislation to identify the textual weaknesses and imbalances, and to attempt to amend formulations to render them consistent with international conventions guaranteeing such rights.
Return to top
The Old City of Fez: Enhancing Accessibility, Reorganizing Transport and Mobility, by Muhammad al-Baghdadi and Hassan al-Hujami
The ancient city of Fez, one of the leading and largest cities of Islamic heritage in the Arab world, has retained its traditional character over many centuries. This is particularly the case with regards to its distinctive network of access roads. These roads were established according to a plan that renders the network unique and different from cities that were established during the colonial period or in the period after independence. This road network forms a homogeneous organic whole despite the variation in each of the many types of roads, giving the ancient city of Fez is the largest pedestrian area in the world. Though unique, the city has remained isolated from the challenges facing the wider city, and the country as a whole, especially with regard to mobility and circulation of traffic. With the emergence of modern transportation and the increased need for transportation services, as well as the increasing flow of passers-by, tourists, and expanding range of activities and services, the old city faces a great challenge of accessibility, one that is posed sharply by burden of the ancient city’s renowned heritage.
Return to top
