A new offer of commitment and work for qualified youth? Democratic monitoring associations in post-Ben Ali Tunisia

Abstract

This article about youth in democratic watchdog associations aims to provide clues to understand how individuals socialised in an authoritarian regime initiate new social practices. In the case of Tunisia, these associations were born and developed after the fall of the Ben Ali regime, thus constituting a social world in which inclinations to a form of militant commitment strongly linked to the accumulation of all kinds of capital (academic, social, cultural) were able to be realised. This associative sector appeared, especially after the 2011 elections, as an attractive field both as an expression of a particular form of militant engagement and as a practical means for constituting a basket of marketable skills. It has enabled a young, French-speaking elite with a good level of English language skills, trained in the best Tunisian universities to develop its national and transnational social capital as well as managerial, legal and IT skills. In doing so, these young people have been led to define a commitment outside of classical representative politics, while playing a key role as guarantors of the democratic processes (control of elections) and as critical actors for responsive government work.