"Because We Are Tunisian" Community and National Identity in Post-Revolution Tunisian Civil Society

Abstract

In 2011, a series of demonstrations in Tunisia for a freer and more open society shook the region as well as the world. The Tunisian revolution succeeded in instituting democratic reforms, as evidenced by the elections held in 2011 and 2014 as well as the peaceful transfer of power following the 2014 election. Tunisia’s success is an anomaly in the Middle East as other countries that followed its lead in what came to be known as the Arab Spring, such as Syria and Libya, were unsuccessful in instituting meaningful reform and, as of 2018, are still embroiled in violent, internal conflict. A body of literature has emerged to understand the success of the Tunisian revolution. One particularly persuasive theory is that Tunisia’s success is tied to its civil society. This theory became popular after the National Dialogue Quartet, a temporary partnership between four Tunisian civil society organizations, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015 for their work facilitating the political transition and safeguarding the democratic process in 2013. This theory that looks to civil society to understand the Tunisian success story builds upon political theory that views civil society as a democratizing force, and primarily focuses on the National Dialogue Quartet’s role in the transition period. However, this theory does not delve into how civil society works in Tunisia or what factors led the Tunisian case specifically to succeed in an area where other civil societies in the Middle East did not. This thesis seeks to understand the motivations and organization of civil society in Tunisia to better explain its success despite the challenges civil society faced under the autocratic regimes from 1957-2011. It argues that civil society and national identity in Tunisia have been historically intertwined and that, even in the present, national identity serves as a motivator for civil society actors (CSAs) across many areas. This is facilitated by Tunisia’s small population and highly homogenous population. The similar motivations of CSAs contribute to the formation of a close-knit community of CSOs through which younger CSOs are mentored by older CSOs that managed to survive the old regimes. Furthermore, this community allows civil society to network which, in turn, allows CSOs to wield more political influence and reach wider segments of the population. Civil society’s networks and organization will be instrumental as the process of democratization continues in Tunisia through the foreseeable future. This thesis bases its analysis in classic civil society theory and how civil society relates to democracy, theory on national identity, and theory on networks. It also makes use of civil It also relies heavily on interviews I conducted with civil society actors in Tunis, Tunisia over two trips in August 2017 and January 2018.