event

Redefining Citizenship in the Arab World

Wed. June 4th, 2014
Washington, DC

The recent popular uprisings in the Arab world sought to dismantle authoritarian political regimes and address profound societal inequities. However, they also triggered fundamental questions about the relationship between citizens and the state, as well as the rights and obligations of citizenship. Today, diverse spaces for contestation have expanded public discourse to discuss new concepts of social justice, identity, and rule of law. Citizens are also debating the enduring role of the nation-state in the twenty-first century while internally addressing the need for reinvigorated institutions and a new social contract.

Carnegie Middle East Center Senior Associate Maha Yahya joined Carnegie Deputy Director of the Middle East Program Katherine Wilkens to discuss the evolving definitions of citizenship in the Arab world.    

Maha Yahya

Maha Yahya is a senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center, where her research focuses on citizenship, pluralism, and social justice in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings.

Katherine Wilkens

Katherine Wilkens is the deputy director of the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment.

Political ReformMiddle EastNorth Africa
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Maha Yahya

Director, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Yahya is director of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, where her research focuses on citizenship, pluralism, and social justice in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings.

Katherine Wilkens

Nonresident Fellow, Middle East Program

Katherine Wilkens is a nonresident fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where she formerly served as deputy director of the Middle East Program.