Cambridge Middle East Studies- Speaking Freedom

What can a North African country teach us about democracy in crisis? Taking readers inside a ground-up reading of the Tunisian Revolution, this study reveals how ordinary people reshaped political life and why their experience matters far beyond Tunisia's borders. By looking closely at this understudied case, Charis Boutieri challenges familiar ideas about what revolutions are, how democracy works, and the dynamic relationship between the two. Speaking Freedom offers a vivid and accessible way to rethink political change in our own time, and provides not only a powerful narrative but also a systematic framework for reimagining how to support democratic participation. At a moment when democracy is faltering worldwide, this book argues that the Tunisian experience holds urgent lessons, showing that even in times of crisis, people can reinvent the public sphere and reimagine political possibility.