Using a multidisciplinary approach rooted in participatory action research, Hisham Bustani seeks to distinguish between what he terms Weberian hegemonic states, drawing on both Max Weber and Antonio Gramsci, and (dys)functional polities, as defined through a critique of both thinkers. Based on his Arabic-language book of the same title, Bustani argues that a contemporary theory of the state must emerge from within the dynamics of international power relations, where states are unequal actors situated along a spectrum of hegemony, violence, or their absence. He analyzes these dynamics via global-local dialectics of "roles" and "functions", with a particular focus on the polities and ruling groups of the Arab region. 

Speaker: Hisham Bustani – Researcher at Sciences Po Paris (CERI), in partnership with the French Institute of the Near East (IFPO), specialist in the political economy of energy in the Middle East.

Discussant: Aghiad Ghanem – PhD in political science, Academic Advisor at PSIA, Director of the MENA Program at Sciences Po Paris.

Moderator: Julien Argoud – PhD candidate in political science at Sciences Po Paris (CERI), member of the scientific council of the MENA Program.