The Forgotten Youth of the Arab Spring

The year 2011 saw an unprecedented number of uprisings shaking the Middle East and North Africa, where young people under 30 make up the largest segment of society.

Although considerable numbers of Arab youth were at the forefront of the popular protests and have remained the most dynamic social actor, little (albeit increasing) attention has been paid to young people themselves in the MENA countries.

In this framework this session will analyze youth conditions, views and aspirations.

The data to be presented and analyzed emerge from the “Researching Arab Mediterranean Youth: Towards a New Social Contract (SAHWA)” project, funded by the European Commission, which conducted a regional survey with a sample of 10,000 young people and extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia.

 

This seminar will introduce the major findings of the project and shows how its database can be used for future comparative research.

 

With guest speakers:

– Elena Sanchez-Montijano, senior research fellow and SAHWA scientific coordinator, CIDOB, Barcelona

“Introduction to the SAHWA project (main results) and its database”

– Ghassan Dibeh, Professor of Economics and Chair of the Department of Economics, Lebanese American University

“Social marginalization, education and the labour market mismatch”

– Nonna Mayer, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, Centre d’études européennes de Sciences Po (CEE)

“Arab Youth and Politics: some methodological issues”

 

 

Chaired by Eckart Woertz, Scientific Advisor to the Kuwait Chair, Paris School of International Affairs of Sciences Po Faculty member.

 

 

This event is co-sponsored by the Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) and the Centre d’études européennes de Sciences Po (CEE – UMR 8239), with the support of the Kuwait Program at Sciences Po.

 

Photo credit: arda savasciogullari/shutterstock.com