Party Systems and Social Cleavages in the Post-Ottoman Space of the MENA Region

forthcoming

Chronic instability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is linked to the difficulties political systems face in arbitrating conflicts and divisions within societies. Political parties and party systems play a crucial role in channeling social demands, articulating various political offers, and building compromises. Yet, there exists no comprehensive theoretical framework for the study of party politics in the MENA. The CLOSER project aims to address this gap using new empirical evidence, and to make a substantial contribution to the theory of social cleavages. This theory was originally developed on the basis of empirical data drawn from the West European party systems. More recently, scholars have used this approach to study party politics in other global regions, contributing to the development of general theory. So far, the MENA has been left out, partly due to the strength of culturalist prejudices inherited from the colonial era and partly to the lack of democratic experience in the region. Nevertheless, the events of recent decades have considerably enriched the empirical material available for the study of MENA party politics, and the time has come to incorporate this material into the general theory. Because social cleavages began to form during the late Ottoman Empire – and continued through the colonization and decolonization processes – we will focus on the post-Ottoman space within this region. This project brings together historians, geographers, and political scientists. Due to its interdisciplinarity, it relies on several methods in the frame of an overarching comparative methodology: archive exploration, electoral geography, electoral manifesto analysis, field interviews, and legal analysis. The main risks are related to access to the field and to relevant data. The potential rewards are a better understanding of the conditions for stability in the MENA and a much-needed contribution to the general literature on party politics.