The events that took place in the Arab states at the turn of the last decade and the consequent profound political and social transformations came as a great surprise to numerous analysts and commentators. Whereas the possibility of political transformations or the change of ruling elites in the Middle Eastern states were frequently speculated on by researchers, neither the pace nor the scope of the process was predicted. At the same time the researchers faced the serious challenge of defining and naming this process. This paper is devoted to a detailed and critical analysis of the six most popular notions applied with reference to the process of socio-political transformations in North Africa and the Middle East.Wydarzenia w państwach arab...