The book "Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East" by Asef Bayat explores the role of ordinary people in driving social and political change in the Middle East. Bayat focuses on the diverse ways in which subaltern groups, such as urban dispossessed, Muslim women, and youth, strive to affect change through "social nonmovements." These nonmovements are collective endeavors of millions of noncollective actors, often carried out in public spaces like streets, courthouses, and communities. Bayat argues that these nonmovements are more effective than mass protests or revolutions in challenging authoritarian states, moral authority, and neoliberal economies. He highlights the importance of street politics, where conflicts and solidarities are formed and extended, and the role of urban spaces in shaping social struggles and agency. The book also discusses the evolution of Islamism and the emergence of post-Islamist movements, which aim to combine faith and freedom with secular democratic principles. Bayat's work contributes to the understanding of social change in the Muslim Middle East by rejecting both exceptionalist and uncritical approaches to social science theories.The book "Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East" by Asef Bayat explores the role of ordinary people in driving social and political change in the Middle East. Bayat focuses on the diverse ways in which subaltern groups, such as urban dispossessed, Muslim women, and youth, strive to affect change through "social nonmovements." These nonmovements are collective endeavors of millions of noncollective actors, often carried out in public spaces like streets, courthouses, and communities. Bayat argues that these nonmovements are more effective than mass protests or revolutions in challenging authoritarian states, moral authority, and neoliberal economies. He highlights the importance of street politics, where conflicts and solidarities are formed and extended, and the role of urban spaces in shaping social struggles and agency. The book also discusses the evolution of Islamism and the emergence of post-Islamist movements, which aim to combine faith and freedom with secular democratic principles. Bayat's work contributes to the understanding of social change in the Muslim Middle East by rejecting both exceptionalist and uncritical approaches to social science theories.