The Arab Spring

Impact on Publishing, Scholarly Communication, Libraries and Archives: The Tunisian Revolution as Example

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Downtown Tunis (Summer 2011)

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Downtown Tunis (Summer 2011) A. Houissa#CORNELL

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The political and security situation • Situation is still in-flux. Heavily impacted by the upheavals in neighboring Libya. • State of Emergency still exists and curfews or other temporary movement restrictions may be imposed or changed with little or no notice.

• The first democratic elections in Tunisia were held on 23 October and passed peacefully. • The potential for political demonstrations and industrial protests remains strong. • The center of Tunis, in particular the Qasbah and the centers of other large towns and cities, are the focus for most protests but demonstrations can happen anywhere at any time. A. Houissa#CORNELL

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Road Block / Sit-In A. Houissa#CORNELL

The Field: Publishing & the Press, Libraries & Archives • January 22nd, Interim Government lifted licensing restrictions on the importation of books, publications and films, and all foreign media. • All restrictions on Internet access also lifted. • The legal submission procedure, ‫اإليداع القانىني‬, “Depot Legal,” for publications alleviated. A. Houissa#CORNELL

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• Books that were once confiscated by the Border Police are now making their way to bookstores. • The exteriors of Tunisian bookshops changed dramatically after the January 14th revolution • Books that were once banned and covertly brought into the country are now being displayed freely. In the past, possessing these books meant persecution, losing a job, or even imprisonment. Extreme censorship on the imported book has strangled intellectuals – both writers and readers – and in the absence of freedom, one cannot talk about creativity. – 'La Régente de Carthage‘ – ‘Notre Ami Ben Ali’ – ‘Habib Bourguiba: La Trace et l’Heritage’

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• La Tunisie de Ben Ali: miracle ou mirage? (February 2010, éditions du Cygne) by Florence Beaugé • Dictateurs en sursis: une voie démocratique pour le monde arabe (October 2009, éditions de l’Atelier), by Moncef Marzouki, interviews with Vincent Geisser • La régente de Cathage: main basse sur la Tunisie (October 2009, La Découverte) de Nicolas Beau et Catherine Graciet • Tunisie, terre de paradoxes (July 2006, L’Archipel), by Antoine Sfeir • Ben Ali et ses faux démocrates (October 2004, Publisud), by François Bécet • Le syndrome autoritaire: politique en Tunisie de Bourguiba à Ben Ali (September 2003, Presses de Sciences Po) by Michel Camau and Vincent Geisser • Tunisie: le délitement de la cité – coercition, consentement, résistance (July 2003, Karthala) by Sadri Khiari • Tunisie, le livre noir (May 2002, La Découverte), Documents collected by Reporters sans Frontières • La Tunisie de Ben Ali: la société contre le régime (March 2002, L’Harmattan), by Olfa Lamloum and Bernard Ravenel A. Houissa#CORNELL

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• 31st Paris Book Fair (March 2011) under the theme, "The Tunisian Revolution.“ • Featured more than 300 books from 18 Tunisian publishers.

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Book Sale at a Political Party Rally A. Houissa#CORNELL

New Press Code…More Freedom!! • A new press code giving more freedom to journalists and creating a supervisory authority, the Higher Audiovisual Council. “ – “The provisions contained herein and related to freedom of expression, the press, printing and the sale of books” CH 1. Decree No. 115, Nov. 2, 2011. – ‫ يتعلق‬2011 ‫ نىفوبر‬2 ‫ هؤرّخ في‬2011 ‫ لسنت‬115 ‫هرسىم عدد‬ .‫بحريت الصحافت والطباعت والنشر‬

• The 77 articles remove powers delegated to the Ministry of Interior to intervene and stop the publication of any press outlet. • Protects the confidentiality of journalistic sources and prohibits the prosecution for opinions expressed or information disseminated. A. Houissa#CORNELL

• Decree on Access to Administrative Documents. – New decree on access to information rolls back culture of secrecy : adopted by the Interim Government in May 2011. It provides people regardless of citizenship - with a right to access administrative documents; it requires public authorities to proactively disclose information about their activities; it outlines a satisfactory procedure for access to information; and it establishes that access to documents is in principle free of charge. A. Houissa#CORNELL

National Archives (Tunis) A. Houissa#CORNELL

Letter dated 11 May, 1865, from Amos Perry, US Consul in Tunis, to the Tunisian Prime Minister informing him of the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln. A. Houissa#CORNELL

Letter from John Adams, President of the USA to Hammuda Basha Bey thanking him for the friendly reception of the US Consul and renewing some articles of the friendship and peace between the two A. Houissa#CORNELL countries, 15 January, 1809.

National Archives Empty Display Room A. Houissa#CORNELL

PLO Archives, a.k.a, Arafat Archives • Archives includes all his messages with world leaders. It also has information about the Palestinian military operations and personnel, sources of funding , negotiations with Israel, etc. • Tunisia was the headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization since its departure from Lebanon in 1982 and until the establishment of the PNA under Oslo agreements with Israel in 1993. • A disagreement between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and former Tunisian government of President Ben Ali over the archives of former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. A. Houissa#CORNELL

• As soon as the Palestinian had gone, Ben Ali sent his secret service to seize the archives and bar access to any Palestinian official or visitor. • Tunisia has previously refused to hand over the archives to PA leaders for their use. • January 2010, a high-ranking Palestinian delegation went to Tunis to offer Ben Ali a compromise: They would be allowed to photocopy the secret archive documents while leaving the originals in Tunis. • This too, the Tunisian ruler refused. But by then, he had found a legalistic cloak for his position: Yasser Arafat’s widow, Suha, was the only legitimate claimant to any Arafat property, he told his disappointed visitors. • Attempts to get an electronic copy but all efforts were futile.

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Tunisian National Library A. Houissa#CORNELL

National Library • In May, Olfa Youssef the Director of the Library, resigns after a series of sit-ins and protests by staff. • She claimed misunderstanding on the part of staff. The Ministry of Culture did not want to deal with her. •  Too close to Ben Ali and his regime.

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Documenting A Revolution

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Subject Headings • Tunisia ǂx History ǂx Revolution, 2011. • Tunisia ǂx History ǂy Demonstrations, 2010• Bin ʻAlī, Zayn al-ʻĀbidīn ǂx Resignation from office. • Tunisia ‡x Politics and government ‡y 21st century. • Protest movements ǂz Tunisia ǂx History ǂy 21st century. • Democratization ǂz Tunisia. • Crises ǂz Tunisia ǂx Politics and government ǂy 21st century. A. Houissa#CORNELL

Keyword Search Terms & Phrases • • • • • •

Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution Jasmine Revolution Tunisian uprising / Uprising in Tunisia Pro-Democracy Movements in Tunisia Tunisian revolution /Revolution in Tunisia “Arab Spring" Tunisia …

• [Printemps arabe … ‫]… الربيع العربي‬ A. Houissa#CORNELL

The Internet Archive – “jasmine revolution”

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Archive-It -TUNISIA

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Arab Revolutions Archive TUNISIA The Arab Democracy Foundation

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Arab Revolutions Archive

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Archives—Free Tunisia

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Archives de la Révolution Tunisienne ‫أرشيف الثورة التونسية‬

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Les Archives de la révolution Tunisienne. Photos

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Archive de la révolution tunisienne [Video]

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‫الثىرة التىنسيت ‪2011‬‬

‫الموسوعة الحرة لخلق وجمع المحتوى العربي‬

‫مؤسسة المعرفة هي صاحبت هشروع الوعرفت‪ .‬وهي هؤسست ال تهدف الربح‪ ،‬ينفق عليها بالكاهل نايل‬ ‫الشافعي‪ .‬هىيليت في أي دولت بالعالن‪ .‬الوؤسست هقرها في نيىيىرك‪ ،‬الىالياث الوتحدة‪.‬‬

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al-Bab—Tunisia

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Tunisia - Reporters Without Borders

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Arab Spring: A Research & Study Guide * ‫الربيع العربي‬

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