Critical junctures, path dependence and Al-Nahda's contribution to the Tunisian transition to democracy

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article employs the concept of critical junctures within the Tunisian transition to explain Al-Nahda's transformation. The party's new attitude is explained as a product of the causal mechanism that links critical junctures and path dependence. Relying on qualitative analysis, this article offers an innovative approach to the development of the party. It shifts the focus from the causes behind Al-Nahda's transformation to the effects that the party’ choices had on the transition to democracy and the new political system, highlighting how the agency of their decision-making in 2013 and 2014 guided the party–and the Tunisian transition–on a trajectory that enhanced the democratisation process. The article argues that since 2013 Al-Nahda has gradually accumulated democratic capital, fostering national reconciliation, which ultimately provided the party with the freedom to adopt a new political outlook. Finally, this article offers an innovative reasoning that refines theoretical tools when it comes to investigate the participation of Islamic parties in democratisation processes or political change.