Revolutionary Decades: Yemeni National Memory, 1962–2012

Abstract

How have perceptions of Yemen's 1962 revolution changed since the modern state's founding and how has the government attempted to control historical memory? A comparison of al-Thawra, the Yemeni republic's first modern newspaper, and a 40th anniversary conference in 2002 reveals how Yemen failed to reconcile the bloody legacy of its revolution. This failure allowed tensions — between tribes and the government and between regional factions — to undermine the revolutionary legacy, leading to President 'Ali 'Abdullah Salih's resignation in 2012 and the civil war in the ensuing years.