ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the complex relationship between minorities, civil society, and state formation in the contemporary Middle East, to accomplish several tasks. It explores several conceptual debates relevant to examining the relationship between minorities, identity, and civil society politics in the region. The chapter uses a political economy lens to examine the kind of economic weight minority populations might bring to their civic and political demands – focusing on the differential effects that capitalist penetration and post-colonial development agendas have had on the economic power of minority populations. It examines the contradictions in state- and nation-building – ones that can lead to both the 'creation' of majorities and minorities and the privileging of one over the other. The chapter also examines the ways in which minority communities have been incorporated into regime structures and the effects that these have on the development of civil and associational life for members of minority communities.
