Speakers Series: Arab youth and the demographic dividend they will bring

Bessma Momani

Arab Dawn: Arab youth and the demographic dividend they will bring

If you flick on the television, it wont be long before you find an image of an angry balaclava-clad radical Arab teen brandishing an explosive device, or an aerial shot of the destruction caused by clashes between the Middle East's warring factions.  All while death counts climb on the side of the screen.  Dr. Bessma Momani argues that we de-humanize Middle Easterners when we lose sight of the actual human beings affected by conflict.  Instead of looking at humans' we congregate around numbers, ideologies, and governments.

In her book Arab Dawn: Arab Youth and the Demographic Divide they will Bring, Momani challenges the negative assumptions surrounding the region, and focuses on the positive changes among the Arab youth.  According to Momani, this generation is more cosmopolitan, educated, entrepreneurial, creative, and tolerant than their parents.  The Arab Spring was an initial cry for help against dysfunctional politics. Future change will require individual effort on the part of youth and new policies targeted towards them.  Momani describes the hidden potential  of the Middle East's youth.

Wednesday January 20th 2016  
11:30 – 1:00pm
Hagey Hall 341 – PSCI Lounge