Performing Democracy in Iraq and South Africa

“A bold attempt to re-create the mindscapes of the South African and Iraqi worlds that were under the jackboot of tyranny and repressive governance.” —African Studies Quarterly

“Kimberly Segall’s book draws our attention to the use of media, art, and popular culture by ordinary people living through extraordinary times. She highlights the role of affect and emotion in resisting, negotiating, understanding, and coping with dramatic and sometimes violent political change. In so doing, she deconstructs and reconstructs identities both within and across national boundaries, helping us to think about familiar political events in unfamiliar ways.” —Nicola Pratt, coauthor of What Kind of Liberation? Women and the Occupation of Iraq

“A keen listener and observer, Kimberly Wedeven Segall brings together two decades of engagement with Middle Eastern and African communities that have sought to forge new political imaginaries. Drawing our attention to many forgotten springs beyond the newly named ‘Arab Spring,’ Segall shows how popular and artistic expressions in these communities have resulted in ‘hybrid blooms of democratic voices.’” —Gaurav Desai, coeditor of Postcolonialisms: An Anthology of Cultural Theory and Criticism.