UTOPIANISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

The first comprehensive overview of utopianism in the modern Middle East and North Africa • Studies utopian projects inspired by liberalism, nationalism, socialism, modernism, secularism, Islamic revivalism, urbanism, atomic energy, and artificial intelligence • Discusses cases from Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia • Highlights both the transformative potential of utopias, and their role in the consolidation of authoritarian regimes • Brings together researchers from the fields of history, politics, anthropology, literature, art history, and urban studies This is the first systematic exploration of the diversity of utopian thought and practice in the modern Middle East and North Africa. Beyond intellectual debates, utopianism has infused the many ideologies that have shaped contentious politics and governance in the region, from state formation to revolutionary transformations, conflicts, and the recent authoritarian resurgence. Drawing on case studies from Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, contributors address a broad array of utopian visions pertaining to political ideologies such as liberalism, secularism, Islamic revivalism, and socialism, but also to fields of expertise and technologies such as urbanism, the atom, and artificial intelligence. Likewise, they acknowledge the diversity of players that partake in the production of utopias, including writers, ideologues, activists, statesmen, experts, artists, and social media users. Moreover, authors consider both imaginaries promoted by challengers to the incumbents, and visions that serve the consolidation of authoritarianism.