The Arab Lefts Histories and Legacies, 1950s-1970s

Explores the entangled histories of left-wing movements across the Arab world, Europe and Afro-Asian areas of resistance Relocating the Arab Left in transnational dynamics and revolutionary networks, this book examines the circulation of people, symbols, and ideas between the Arab world, Europe and Afro-Asian areas of resistance. Based on an analysis of textual and audio-visual materials, this book sheds light on the resilience of Arab radical and democratic traditions that took shape despite local and global wars, state coercion, neo-liberal globalisation and repeated failures. Interrogating commonly accepted categories - in particular the category of 'Left' - the collection also invites reflection on how a re-engagement with the 'Long Sixties' relates to today's political landscape and conception of history and temporality. - A transnational history of the Arab Left, this book opens new avenues for research on the Cold War, the Sixties and national emancipation struggles - Features an interdisciplinary team of scholars that bring into conversation a wide range of concerns including radicalisation processes, revolutionary hopes, neoliberal globalisation, Islam and the Left, the legacy of Marxism, communism and left-wing politics in general - Examines the interventions of a wide range of leftist parties and groups in the Middle East, including the Syrian Baath Party, League for Combating Zionism, Israeli Communist Party (MAKI), Syrian-Lebanese Communist Party, Tunisian Communist Party, Egyptian Communist Workers' Party, Socialist Lebanon and the Organisation of the Communist Action in Lebanon - Traces the political involvement of Arab Left figures such as Khaled Bakdash, Mahdi Ben Barka, Clovis Maksoud, Husayn Muruwwah and Khalid Ahmad Zaki Laure Guirguis is Associate Professor and Research Fellow at the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS) and Associate Researcher at the Institute for Research on the Arab and Muslim World (IREMAM, Aix-en-Provence).