Rapid literacy growth in Arab societies creates a knowledge-power gap between generations

Evidence

In major Arab countries (Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia) the number of people in their early twenties seeking jobs will expand until about 2010. As compared to 1990, entrants into the job market will increase by 30 percent in Tunisia, by about 50 percent in Algeria, Egypt, and Morocco, and by over 100 percent in Syria. The rapid expansion of literacy in Arab societies also creates a gap between a literate younger generation and a largely illiterate older generation and thus a “dissociation between knowledge and power” likely “to put a strain on political systems.” — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 326

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the ‘dissociation between knowledge and power’ as a named mechanism linking literacy expansion to political strain.
• XREF: Connects to modernization/legitimacy theories and to the idea that educated unemployed youth fuel political upheaval (also relevant to Islamism’s rise).