Sites of pluralism : community politics in the Middle East / edited by Firat Oruc

Includes bibliographical references and index

Introduction : communities in the playing field of pluralism / Firat Oruc.-- State-community relations.--Between faith and state : contemporary conflicts over diversity / Kathleen A. Cavanaugh .-- Formal education system as arenas of inclusion and exclusion : comparative case studies from Lebanon and Syria / Annika Rabo .-- The ruling family's hegemony : inclusion and exclusion in Qatari society / Islam Hassan .-- The Shi'i state and the socioeconomic challenges of the Sunni communities in Iran : historical and contemporary perspectives / Afshin Shahi and Ehsan Abdoh-Tabrizi .-- Frontiers of identity. Inclusion and exclusion in the Arab city : discourses on identity and urbanism in the Middle East / Nezar AlSayyad .-- Millet ethnicity : Islamized Armenians and Armenian identity / James Barry .-- Colorblind or blinded by color? Race, ethnicity, and identity in Iran / Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet .-- Cultural cleansing and iconoclasm under the Islamic state : attacks on Yezidis and Christians and their heritage / Benjamin Isakhan, José Antonio González Zarandona, and Taghreed Jamal Al-Deen.

Scholars and policymakers, struggling to make sense of the ongoing chaos in the Middle East, have focused on the possible causes of the escalation in both inter-state and intra-state conflict. But the Arab Spring has shown the urgent need for new ways to frame difference, both practically and theoretically. For some, a fundamental incompatibility between different ethno-linguistic and religious communities lies at the root of these conflicts; these divisions are thought to impede any form of political resolution or social cohesion. But little work has been done to explore how these tensions manifest themselves in the communities of the Middle East. 'Sites of Pluralism' fills this significant gap, going beyond a narrow focus on 'minorities' to examine the larger canvas of community politics in the Middle East.