Post-colonialism vs. Post-authoritarianism: The arab world and latin america in a comparative perspective

Abstract

In this article, the author challenges a current trend of blaming Arab intellectuals for the failure to accompany the Arab uprisings and guide their publics and their social movements. The author challenges this tendency and argues that there has been intense debate on the subject in academia and the mass media, and indicates that what occurred was, in fact, the failure of the schools of thought of post-colonial and anti-imperialist leftist scholars. He consequently shows how the intersection between the social sciences and post-colonial studies is not without friction, especially when trying to project such studies on the Arab context. He suggests that the post-colonial trend should be complemented by a post-authoritarian approach, which could serve both the Arab and Latin American worlds. © 2018, Universidade de Brasilia. All rights reserved.