Explaining and Analyzing the Tunisian Revolution from the Perspective of a Discourse Approach

Subject Areas : International Relations

Karim Shahvali ¹ (PhD Student in International Relations, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch)
محمد یوسفی جویباری ² (عضو هیات علمی دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد تبریز)
Ehsan Shakeri Khoee ³ (Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University Tabriz, Iran)

Received: 2020-09-30 Accepted : 2021-12-29 Published : 2021-11-22

Keywords: Discourse, secularism, Political Islam, Islamic Awaking, pro- Democracy,

Abstract :

The purpose of this article is to explain and analyze the 2011 Tunisian revolution from the perspective of the discourse approach ofErnesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. In line with the purpose of the research, the central question that can be posed and evaluated is that: in the framework of the theory of discourse analysis of Laclau and Muff, how it canbe analyzed the 2011 Tunisian revolution? The hypothesis of the article is that within the framework of Laclau and Mouffe's discourse theory, the Tunisian revolution can be interpreted as a revolution with intra-discourse and extra-discourse conflict to achieve a hegemonic position. The intra-discourse is related to the competition of the signifier ofsecularism signified , which in the framework its, the signifier of democracy and political freedom replaced the signifier of authoritarianism in the signified of secularism. And the extra-discourse conflict is related to the competition of the discourse of political Islam with secularism, especially the combination of religion and politics against the separation of religion from politics. Eventually, however, the discourse of political Islam and secularism (signifier of democracy and political freedom) formed the Tunisian revolution by being in an equivalence. The findings of the study also indicate that there is no specific ideology in Tunisia, and this in itself has made it possible for rival discourses to manage political and social developments in the country with a constructive coexistence. The research method is descriptive-analytical and discourse analysis has been used as an analysis tool to advance the research work.