This edited volume examines the current challenges to media freedom and democratisation in the Middle East. The book revisits the relationship between media consumption and activism in the region, providing thorough analyses on the appropriation of social media for political engagement.

Nael Jebril is Associate Professor and Head of the Media Studies Program at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Qatar. He previously served as a Principal Academic in Journalism and Director of the MA Media and Communication Program at Bournemouth University, UK, and as an Academic Fellow in Media and Democracy at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford University, UK.

Mohammed-Ali Abunajela works in the communication, media, and international humanitarian sectors. Previously, he served as Regional Media Manager of the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, Media and Communications Lead for the Middle East and Commonwealth Independent States at Oxfam, GB, and Communications Advisor at the BBC World Service in London. He holds a PhD degree in Media Studies from the University of Bedfordshire, UK.

Introduction: The State of Media and Democracy in the MENA Region 1. Freedom of Expression in the Post-Arab Spring Countries 2. Egypt 3. Social Media and Social Change in Jordan 4. Cracking Down on Media and Democracy in Lebanon: The October 17 Uprising 5. 6. Political Laugh on Social Media: An Analysis of Humorous Participation in Turkey 7. Cultural identity in Libyan and Yemeni Social Media Visual Art: The Expression of Transcultural Identity in Countries of Conflict 8. Saudi Women Journalists: An Ethnographic Study Exploring their Roles and Practices in an Age of National Transformation 9. Democratising the Media: Media Reform and The Future of Journalism in Egypt 10. Memory as a Human Right: Palestinian Memory and Israel's Modes of Forgetting