Douaa Sheet

This book is an ethnographic study of “life with dignity,” the demand that mobilized the 2011 Tunisian uprising and continues to shape democratization efforts in its aftermath. Through the lens of the Truth and Dignity Commission—a human rights mechanism that investigates the human rights violations of the former regime and recommends institutional reforms and reparations for its victims—the book examines the historical grievances of three victim groups based on gender, religion, and class respectively to articulate “life with dignity” as a theory of justice. Drawing on the testimonies and historical experiences of these three victim groups, the book ethnographically articulates what “life with dignity” as an alternative standard of justice entails to challenge the claim that human rights is the universal utopia of our time and offer a different reading of our moral-political present.