Vom Anfang und Ende der Revolution – fünf Bemerkungen mit Blick auf die arabische Welt

Abstract

On Beginning and End of Revolution – five Statements regarding the Arab World

The fall of the despots in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, the creeping modification of the elite power structure in Yemen and Bahrain, and the fall of the Syrian regime to be expected sooner or later are commonly interpreted as a result of a revolution in the Arab world. But a closer analysis of the events connected to the change of regime shows that the classic concept of revolution does not help to adequately comprehend these events. Rather it is indicated, that since the 1980s, the semantics of the concept of revolution has fundamentally shifted from an utopian order of norms aspired to and interpreted politically to an order of values being embedded in the plurality of life worlds worldly. As a consequence, a radical change of the pragmatics of revolution also took place which paved the way to the «revolt of life worlds», whose new discursive shape has manifestly come to light in the Arab revolts.