MES 12.06 Dictatorship and Dissent: the Middle East in a Global Context

Dictatorship is the defining characteristic of some governments, especially in the Arab world. Dictatorship is usually described as a strongman imposing his will on the nation through sheer force. French political philosopher Étienne de La Boétie (1530–1563) in his seminal essay Discours de la servitude volontaire (Discourse on Voluntary Servitude) presented the existence of a dictatorship as a relationship between two parties. Before every dictator is a population that is willing to accept rule by the dictator. The dictator cannot impose his will on a people that shun a dictatorship. Extrapolating from this concept, we can consider dictatorship to be a syndrome. The dictionary defines a syndrome as “a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular abnormality or condition.” In this course, students will examine the condition, signs, symptoms, and cures for the malady of dictatorship.

Instructor

Al-Aswany

Cross Listed Courses

GOVT 40.24

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:INT or LIT; WCult:NW

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