Introduction

Summary

The brief but powerful emergence of the liberal intelligentsia and liberal democratic ideas and assertions in the aftermath of the Arab Spring (2011–2012) have revealed a different dimension to Arab society and political life and provide insight into a parallel reality and movement bubbling along beneath the surface. And while the conservatives and the autocrats quickly took over the popular uprisings, liberal notions, ideas and actors enjoyed immense popularity and displayed vitality, courage, and defiance in that moment before their forced eclipse. The question thus emerges: Where did these ideas and people come from, and where are they now?