POLS 348 Study Guide - Tikrit, Muammar Gaddafi, Guardian Council
23 Sep 2013
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Role of ethnicity in the politics of the region (i. e. clan loyalties/ethnic ties have served to reinforce authoritarianism i. e. libya) Role of women in society and politics. State-building process (different even than democratization, which comes later: state building vs. regime change. Two rival approaches to the middle east: area studies: scholars focus on the particularistic qualities of the region and interpret political events based on that knowledge i. e. language, culture, customs, etc. Assert that analytical social scientists suffer from oversimplification preoccupied with abstract models that are detached from reality. Research that is uninformed by cultural and historical contexts cannot be an accurate explanation of the politics of the region: disciplinary social science: emphasis on general theoretical insights. Argue that area studies favours description over explanation, lacks analytical insight. Preoccupied with detail and specificity that are of little use for analysis; can provide us with information but can"t explain why.
