The Emergence of the Individual in Tunisia: Characteristics and Problems

Volume Volume VIII|Issue 32| Spring 2020 |Theme of the Issue

Abstract

Is it possible to talk about “the individual” in the Maghrebi and, specifically, Tunisian context? The study demonstrates that it is possible, provided that closed definitions of the individual, which do not entertain the possibility for the individual to emerge outside a list of historical, political and economic conditions that tend towards essentialism and that draw upon one culture are avoided. The study discusses “the emergence of the individual” as a social phenomenon and a sociological wager that entails a review of the classical theoretical and methodological tools that have long presented the individual in contrast to idea of society and outside the realm of sociological interest. It also requires an examination of terms that are widely confused, such as individualisation, individualism, and individuation. Starting with qualitative field studies, the study provides examples of the specific process of individuation witnessed in Tunisian society, in connection with the process of modernization and individual-citizen building, records of identity, and conflicts over a post-2011 revolution social model.

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