Cracks in Tradition
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A01=Mansoor Moaddel
Author_Mansoor Moaddel
Category=JBSL
Category=JHB
Category=JPFK
Category=JPFT
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forthcoming
Product details
- ISBN 9780231220620
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 21 Jul 2026
- Publisher: Columbia University Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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A remarkable transformation is taking place in the Middle East. As old ideologies from nationalism to fundamentalism falter, many people are embracing a new vision grounded in secularism, gender equality, and individual freedom. Cracks in Tradition is a bold, data-driven account of the rise of liberal values in the Middle East, revealing the depth and breadth of a movement with the potential to change the course of world politics.
Drawing on more than 70,000 face-to-face interviews and in-depth qualitative insights from Egypt and Tunisia, Mansoor Moaddel rigorously analyzes real-world attitudes and trends. He provides a nuanced portrait of a region in flux, where liberal ideas are gaining strength despite the enduring power of fundamentalism and authoritarianism. Challenging entrenched assumptions and longstanding biases, Moaddel demonstrates that liberalism has emerged organically from within Middle Eastern societies, driven by local social, cultural, and historical dynamics. His groundbreaking model of ideological change shows how key domains of social life—governance, gender, and personal autonomy—are being reshaped by new systems of meaning, spurring the spread of liberal values. Provocatively argued and empirically rich, Cracks in Tradition provides a fresh, optimistic perspective on the future of the Middle East and global democracy.
Drawing on more than 70,000 face-to-face interviews and in-depth qualitative insights from Egypt and Tunisia, Mansoor Moaddel rigorously analyzes real-world attitudes and trends. He provides a nuanced portrait of a region in flux, where liberal ideas are gaining strength despite the enduring power of fundamentalism and authoritarianism. Challenging entrenched assumptions and longstanding biases, Moaddel demonstrates that liberalism has emerged organically from within Middle Eastern societies, driven by local social, cultural, and historical dynamics. His groundbreaking model of ideological change shows how key domains of social life—governance, gender, and personal autonomy—are being reshaped by new systems of meaning, spurring the spread of liberal values. Provocatively argued and empirically rich, Cracks in Tradition provides a fresh, optimistic perspective on the future of the Middle East and global democracy.
Mansoor Moaddel is a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. His many books include The Clash of Values: Islamic Fundamentalism Versus Liberal Nationalism (Columbia, 2020).
