Spotlight On: Tofigh Maboudi
Tofigh Maboudi, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, published a book with Cambridge University Press
Tofigh Maboudi, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences at 黑料门University, recently published a book with Cambridge University Press, The 鈥淔all鈥� of the Arab Spring: Democracy鈥檚 Challenges and Efforts to Reconstitute the Middle East. The book looks at the relationship between Arab Spring constitutions and pathways of democratic success and failure in the Middle East and North Africa.
鈥淭ofigh Maboudi is an internationally renowned scholar in the fields of comparative politics and Middle East studies, and we are grateful to have his expertise in the College of Arts and Sciences鈥� said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at 黑料门University Chicago. 鈥淗is work not only demonstrates the value of building international bridges, but it also contributes to our understanding of civil society in the Arab world and the evolution of contemporary democratization on a global scale.鈥�
Dr. Maboudi鈥檚 research and teaching interests include democratization, authoritarianism, comparative constitutional studies, environmental laws and policies, and Middle Eastern politics.
鈥淭he Arab Spring created a unique momentum for democratization in a region known for 鈥榬obustness of authoritarianism鈥� and 鈥榥on-constitutionalism鈥� but ultimately failed to bring any democratic change to the Arab world,鈥� Maboudi noted. 鈥淚n this book I offer a novel explanation for the failure of Arab Spring in bringing democracy; an explanation that puts constitution-making and constitutional bargains at the core of democratization.鈥�
In the book, Dr. Maboudi draws on a decade of research on the Arab Spring to make the point that constitutional negotiations have a higher prospect of success in establishing democracy if they resolve societal, ideological, and political ills. The 'Fall' of the Arab Spring demonstrates that civil society is the all-important link that connects constitutional bargaining processes to democratization.
鈥淭he Arab Spring was a tragedy, but it also created a new repertoire for change in an exceptionally authoritarian region,鈥� said Maboudi. 鈥淕rassroots movements for constitutionalism and democratization are still alive and quite powerful, and the lessons learned from the Arab Spring will no doubt have an everlasting impact on contentious politics in the Arab world.鈥�
As John Carey, Wentworth Professor in the Social Sciences at Dartmouth College, noted in his review of the book, 鈥淭his is an essential book for readers seeking to understand prospects for democracy in the 21st Century.鈥�
This is Dr. Maboudi鈥檚 second book to be published. He previously co-authored, Constituents before Assembly: Participation, Deliberation, and Representation in the Crafting of New Constitutions (Cambridge University Press, 2017), which examines the impact of citizen participation in constitution-making on levels of democracy across 118 countries.
More information about The 鈥淔all鈥� of the Arab Spring: Democracy鈥檚 Challenges and Efforts to Reconstitute the Middle East, including additional reviews and endorsements, can be
黑料门 the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of 黑料门University Chicago鈥檚 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University鈥檚 Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola鈥檚 students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be 鈥渋ndividuals for others.鈥�
Tofigh Maboudi, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, published a book with Cambridge University Press
Tofigh Maboudi, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences at 黑料门University, recently published a book with Cambridge University Press, The 鈥淔all鈥� of the Arab Spring: Democracy鈥檚 Challenges and Efforts to Reconstitute the Middle East. The book looks at the relationship between Arab Spring constitutions and pathways of democratic success and failure in the Middle East and North Africa.
鈥淭ofigh Maboudi is an internationally renowned scholar in the fields of comparative politics and Middle East studies, and we are grateful to have his expertise in the College of Arts and Sciences鈥� said Peter J. Schraeder, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at 黑料门University Chicago. 鈥淗is work not only demonstrates the value of building international bridges, but it also contributes to our understanding of civil society in the Arab world and the evolution of contemporary democratization on a global scale.鈥�
Dr. Maboudi鈥檚 research and teaching interests include democratization, authoritarianism, comparative constitutional studies, environmental laws and policies, and Middle Eastern politics.
鈥淭he Arab Spring created a unique momentum for democratization in a region known for 鈥榬obustness of authoritarianism鈥� and 鈥榥on-constitutionalism鈥� but ultimately failed to bring any democratic change to the Arab world,鈥� Maboudi noted. 鈥淚n this book I offer a novel explanation for the failure of Arab Spring in bringing democracy; an explanation that puts constitution-making and constitutional bargains at the core of democratization.鈥�
In the book, Dr. Maboudi draws on a decade of research on the Arab Spring to make the point that constitutional negotiations have a higher prospect of success in establishing democracy if they resolve societal, ideological, and political ills. The 'Fall' of the Arab Spring demonstrates that civil society is the all-important link that connects constitutional bargaining processes to democratization.
鈥淭he Arab Spring was a tragedy, but it also created a new repertoire for change in an exceptionally authoritarian region,鈥� said Maboudi. 鈥淕rassroots movements for constitutionalism and democratization are still alive and quite powerful, and the lessons learned from the Arab Spring will no doubt have an everlasting impact on contentious politics in the Arab world.鈥�
As John Carey, Wentworth Professor in the Social Sciences at Dartmouth College, noted in his review of the book, 鈥淭his is an essential book for readers seeking to understand prospects for democracy in the 21st Century.鈥�
This is Dr. Maboudi鈥檚 second book to be published. He previously co-authored, Constituents before Assembly: Participation, Deliberation, and Representation in the Crafting of New Constitutions (Cambridge University Press, 2017), which examines the impact of citizen participation in constitution-making on levels of democracy across 118 countries.
More information about The 鈥淔all鈥� of the Arab Spring: Democracy鈥檚 Challenges and Efforts to Reconstitute the Middle East, including additional reviews and endorsements, can be
黑料门 the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of 黑料门University Chicago鈥檚 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 37 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University鈥檚 Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola鈥檚 students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be 鈥渋ndividuals for others.鈥�