An interdisciplinary study of various aspects of Tunisian culture.

Tunisia in a Changing Climate: Assessment and Actions for Increased Resilience and Development is part of the World Bank Studies series. These papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank's ongoing research and to stimulate public discussion. This book provides an assessment of climate risks, as well as opportunities and possible actions for addressing climate change, in Tunisia. It recognizes that the Tunisian revolution of January 14th, 2011, created significant change in the country, resulting in new challenges and opportunities for addressing further change. Following the revolution, improvements in access to information, institutional capacity, and accountability have enhanced the governance and transparency that are essential for effective climate change responses. However, political uncertainty has affected both foreign direct investment and tourism, which have further impacted already high rates of poverty and unemployment.

The Arab Spring began and ended with Tunisia. In a region beset by brutal repression, humanitarian disasters, and civil war, Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution alone gave way to a peaceful transition to a functioning democracy. Within four short years, Tunisians passed a progressive constitution, held fair parliamentary elections, and ushered in the country's first-ever democratically elected president. But did Tunisia simply avoid the misfortunes that befell its neighbors, or were there particular features that set the country apart and made it a special case? In Tunisia: An Arab Anomaly, Safwan M. Masri explores the factors that have shaped the country's exceptional experience. He traces Tunisia's history of reform in the realms of education, religion, and women's rights, arguing that the seeds for today's relatively liberal and democratic society were planted as far back as the middle of the nineteenth century. Masri argues that Tunisia stands out not as a model that can be replicated in other Arab countries, but rather as an anomaly, as its history of reformism set it on a separate trajectory from the rest of the region. The narrative explores notions of identity, the relationship between Islam and society, and the hegemonic role of religion in shaping educational, social, and political agendas across the Arab region. Based on interviews with dozens of experts, leaders, activists, and ordinary citizens, and a synthesis of a rich body of knowledge, Masri provides a sensitive, often personal, account that is critical for understanding not only Tunisia but also the broader Arab world.

Die Reihe Islamkundliche Untersuchungen wurde 1969 im Klaus Schwarz Verlag begründet und hat sich zu einem der wichtigsten Publikationsorgane der Islamwissenschaft in Deutschland entwickelt. Die über 330 Bände widmen sich der Geschichte, Kultur und den Gesellschaften Nordafrikas, des Nahen und Mittleren Ostens sowie Zentral-, Süd- und Südost-Asiens.

The Tunisian Sahel is an extraordinary region for study. A unique and marginal zone in terms of its climate; its relationship to Europe and in its geo-political position as an Arab country in Africa, it provides a fascinating lens through which to study the complex geographical issues of continuity and change. Continuity and Change in the Tunisian Sahel explores just such issues using a number of sub-themes: Islam, the relationships the region has with the global economy, rural development, security, and urban form and function. Based on a well-established fieldwork course, and copiously illustrated with maps, diagrams, photographs, posters, quotations and tables, the book also includes practical advice on how to carry out fieldwork and field investigations in arid and semi-arid regions.

The uprising in Tunisia has come to be seen as the first true revolution of the twenty-first century, one that kick-started the series of upheavals across the region now known as the Arab Spring. In this remarkable work, Alcinda Honwana goes beyond superficial accounts of what occurred to explore the defining role of the country's youth, and in particular the cyber activist. Drawing on fresh testimony from those who shaped events, the book describes in detail the experiences of young activists through the 29 days of the revolution and the challenges they encountered after the fall of the regime and the dismantling of the ruling party. Now, as old and newly established political forces are moving into the political void created by Ben Ali's departure, tensions between the older and younger generations are sharpening. An essential account of an event that has inspired the world, and its potential repercussions for the Middle East, Africa and beyond.