In his 2009 publication dubbed Life as Politics, Asef Bayat presents his readers with an impression based on ten years of research and reflections. Apparently, the author’s text depicts the lives of the working poor in the Middle East, and as per his assertions, the female gender makes up a considerable percentage of the group. With his target population in mind, Bayat’s observations revolved around the determination of how the mentioned group has been significant to not only the social but also the political changes of the Middle East. To that end, central to Bayat’s analysis are the “ordinary people” who, in spite of being at the lowest class of the social infrastructure, manage to change and restructure societies through numerous forms of political activity.
Foremost, to understand Asef Bayat’s arguments in Life as Politics, there is a need to focus on the non-movements, the forces that can bring change without prior sociopolitical influence. Non-movements refer to the “collective actions of non-collective actors” who, despite the fact that they remain unaware of their potential, “trigger much social change” without a recognized leader. By extension, the notion of non-movements disproves the idea of influential politicians as the only individuals who are capable of initiating change. In fact, Bayat confidently affirms that “it is not through formal institutional channels” that the needs for change become a reality instead it is the subtle but “direct actions” of the overlooked majority that propel societies into better conditions. After all, when a governing power fails to heed the cries of its people, there is little else the civilians can do but initiate change from the grassroots levels. For instance, the “Cedar Revolution in Lebanon” and the 1962 Algerian anti-colonial movement that sought the country’s independence from the French depict ordinary individuals that successfully pushed for political change. In the given examples, the regular people take action because they have to but in the long run manage to prove that they are a capable lot.
For a better understanding of the given arguments, a reading of Akram Fouad Khater’s Sources in the History of the Modern Middle East provides more examples of the non-movements on which Bayat grounds his argument. Of particular interest is the section on “Young veiled Women Embracing Their Lovers” which highlights on the non-movements of urban youth as they modernize their culture to push for changes. Apparently, women spent their lives “within the walls of [their homes] not going out to into the street except when [they were] carried” to their graves. The non-movements changed the mentioned perceptions. As Bayat observes in chapter five of Life as Politics, Muslim women started wearing headscarves as per their personal preferences, including having them in “blue, brown, and red” as opposed to the accepted black color. By that logic, such progress transformed the otherwise traditional use of a hijab into a feminist movement and at the same time showed the power of the small people who could become powerful as a group.
In conclusion, the ordinary citizens about whom Bayat writes are indeed capable of initiating change in the Middle East. The problem is, their influence is subtle, and the changes take place at a gradual pace. Hence, prominent leaders may overlook the contribution of women, the youth, and the have-nots but that does not mean that they are solely responsible for the political and social aspects of the region.
Bibliography
Bayat, Asef. Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East . California: Stanford University Press, 2009.
Khater, Akram Fouad. Sources in the History of the Modern Middle East. California: Wadsworth Publishing, 2010.
