A Historical Sociology Approach to Understanding Post-Revolution Disagreement in the Arab Countries

Abstract

This study explores historical sociology approaches that seek to understand the processes of state formation in the Middle East and North Africa, in order to define the parameters that influence the ruling elites and the opposition behavior. This paper also aims at studying the formation of various governance systems and calculates the extent of their flexibility and strength. It argues that the use of political sociology tools by power elites, including Weber’s definition of various sources of power (such as charisma and traditional patriarchal authority), helps in understanding the evolution of the Arab revolutions and their outcomes in a more effective way than the theories of democratic transition. Based on these introductions, the paper suggests an explanatory pattern that help to understand three case studies each representing different outcomes: the democratic transition (Tunisia), the resurgence of authoritarianism (Egypt), and the failed state (Syria).