Revolutionizing the Body: Eros and Demos in Post-Arab Spring Women Writings (Published)
The successful political revolutionary transformations fulfilled by the Arab Spring of 2010-11, acted as a catalyst for synchronous cultural, social and sexual changes. The ‘double revolution’ heralded the emergence of the new woman, transitioning from the docile and conservative, into a concupiscent hermaphroditic rebel, who dares to demand her sexual rights and freedom, challenge the existing norms and disclose her sexual trauma, pleasures, and desires. The body is ‘revolutionized’ and instrumentalized to resist marginalization and to propound bodily and sexual rights. There is an attempt to establish a relation between the historical events and their literary portrayal. The gender perspective of the Arab Spring is analyzed through examples of Arab women artists, whose works in literature, graffiti, blogs or social media, reflect the changes in the ‘Spring’ woman’s character, thought, and conceptualization of sex. Their opus epitomizes the new feminine subjectivities created through the intersection of gender, class, and nation.
Keywords: Arab Spring, Body, Freedom, Gender, Revolutions, Rights, Women, sex
NIGERIA:THE PROSPECTS OF AN “ARAB SPRING”. (Published)
The phrase “Arab Spring” has now gained recognition in political lexicon and I believe it simply means sudden mass uprising aimed at the overthrow of existing Government which is effected by massive and unrelenting mass demonstrations, which suddenly paralyses the operations of Government of the day. Such actions amounts to a revolution defined as “violent civil disturbances that cause the displacement of one ruling group by another that has a broader popular base” (Davis 1962, p6).The aim of this paper is to explore the possibilities of such “Arab Spring” translating into a Nigerian Summer. The position of this paper is that the condition for a revolution already exists in Nigeria. The Government should avoid things that would ignite the dormant forces into action that would be injurious to the safety of the nation.
Keywords: Arab Spring, Nigeria