On the Dawn of the Arab Uprisings

This is a strong collection of articles and essays first published on Jadaliyya as the then-called “Arab Spring” began. Most of the contributors are academics, but the chapters read more like journalism, which makes them all the more interesting. The outbreak of protests, revolutions, and even civil wars was something wholly new, and it was unclear at the time how to make sense of it; reading the book now, it feels like an entirely different world, a lifetime ago. The single best piece may be a translated Facebook post by an unnamed Syrian dissident, which goes in detail through the imprisonment and torture he endured and urges other activists not to be afraid. It’s a powerful thing, full of hope and defiance.