| ||
---|---|---|
Political career
|
||
Bourguibism (Arabic: البورقيبية al-Būrqībiyah, French: bourguibisme) refers to the policies of Habib Bourguiba, the first President of Tunisia, and his followers.
Bourguibism is defined by a strong commitment to national independence and specifically Tunisian nationalism (as opposed to pan-Maghrebi or pan-Arab ideas),[1][2] a state capitalist approach on economic development,[3][4] welfare state,[5] a statist and corporatist interpretation of populism,[6] strict secularism,[7] and cultural modernity, advocating Tunisia's place as a bridge between Arab-Islamic and Western civilisation.[8] Bourguibism is responsible for Tunisia's comparatively high divorce rates[citation needed], which is one of the highest in the Arab and Islamic world, and relatively late age for women to get married (the average age for a woman is 35 years, which is much higher compared to most other Arab countries[which?]). Tunisian women are more sexually liberated, unlike their neighboring countries, and have a relatively strong role in economy, society and labour (all of which are comparable to the West).[9][10] While Bourguibists condemned Tunisians who had collaborated with the French colonial rulers,[11] they did not repress the strong European cultural influence on Tunisia and French continued to be the language of higher education and elite culture.[12] Bourguibism is sometimes described as a variety of Kemalism but with focus on the Tunisian identity.[13]
As a political style or strategy, Bourguibism is characterised by intransigence in pursuing certain goals and non-negotiable principles combined with flexibility in negotiations and readiness to compromise considering the means to effectuate them.[14] It is therefore described as pragmatic, non-ideological, moderate, and reformist rather than revolutionary, but determined and relentless at the same time.[15][16] For example, despite being decidedly secularist, Bourguiba made sure to curtail the public role of Islam only carefully and gradually, in order not to arouse opposition from conservative Muslims.[12]
{{cite book}}
: |work=
ignored (help)
{{cite book}}
: |work=
ignored (help)