The Insult in Tunisian Political Culture

Abstract

The main Arabic words used to describe political insults are "smear" ( waṣm ), "slander/insult" ( shatῑma ) and "trading barbs" ( tarāshuq )... However, these words appear in different contexts and are not specific to a political insult. This article begins with an explanation of these expressions, then proposes the term ( nabz ) to designate the political insult. Thus, it defines ( nabz ) as an outrageous descriptor used in a special context to attack political opponents. The article’s main premise is that ( nabz ) (political insult) is not only a discourse of ridicule and humiliation, and a means of ideological dispute, but also of political culture that originated with the despotic state – one of the reasons why democratic transition failed in Tunisia.