Emad Shahin - PhD Hasib Sabbagh Distinguished Visiting Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies

The paper focuses on the question of ethics in the Arab uprisings and itsdiverse articulations. The Arab uprisings are viewed as political upheavalsthat aimed to achieved political and or socio/economic objectives. Despite thedifferent trajectories of these uprisings, as some managed to come to power,some failed, and others turned into civil wars, the uprisings embodied clearethical components. These were manifested in the demands that the prochange forces raised and in the slogans they raised. The ethical dimension ofthe popular uprisings is clearly under-examined. The paper while analyzingthe philosophical articulations of certain Muslim intellectuals regarding theethical dimensions of the uprising, it will address several specific questions:why have the pro-change forces raised certain ethical values, was there a clearprocess of building clear connections between these values and theirapplications, have these values been instilled in a new social culture, what wasthe role of regional and international actors in supporting or underminingthese values.

Ethics, Arab uprisings, ethical values, social culture