On the Prelude to 14th February Uprising

Summary, in English

The book explores the contentious politics of Bahrain, and charts the way in which a dynamic culture of street protest, a strong moral belief in legitimate democratic demands and creative forms of resistance continue to hamper the efforts of the ruling elite to rebrand itself as a liberal, modernising monarchy. Drawing on powerful testimonies, interviews and conversations from those involved, this broad collection of writings provides a rarely heard voice for the lived experiences of Bahrainis and young scholars studying them. From the trial speech by one of the most prominent political leaders of the uprising, to the evocative prose of an imprisoned poet, the book harnesses the power of storytelling, to lead into scholarly articles that address the themes of space, social movements, postcolonialism, social media, and the role of foreign patrons. Published on the eve of the 2016 bicentenary of British-Bahrain relations, the book in particular focuses on the role of the British government, together showing the depth of historical grievance beyond the sectarian narrative that has come to define the limited reporting of events in the country.

• Author: Abdulhadi Khalaf
• Editor: Ala'a Shehabi; Marc Owen Jones
• Department/s: Sociology
• Publishing year: 2015
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Bahrain's Uprising - Resistance and Repression in the Gulf
• Volume: 1
• Document type: Book chapter
• Publisher: Zed Books
• Topic: Sociology; Political Science
• Keywords: Bahrain; Gulf Cooperation Council; Radical Flanks; Social Movements; Resistance; Arab Spring
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISBN: 9781783604333