“Arab Dawn : Arab Youth and the Demographic Dividend They Can Bring” Canadian Political Scientist Dr. Bessma Momani launched her last book at TEPAV
The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV) in cooperation with Bessma Momani launched on Wednesday, October 7th 2015 the book entitled: “An Arab Dawn: Arab Youth and the Demographic Dividend They Can Bring”.
Bessma Momani is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs. She is also Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance and Innovation (CIGI).
Ms. Momani’s book is based on focus groups in multiple Arab countries such Morocco, Tunisia and Gulf Council Countries, and statistical results were based on surveys. Momani’s efforts drew the attention to the fact that Arab Spring witnessed the involvement of Arab youth and how they represent the new generation of optimistic global citizens.
To get the real pulse of the youth in the Middle East Momani asked to skip the pessimistic image presented in the media and be in direct touch with young Arab’s aspirations and visions. She also emphasised on the idea of Arab youth utilizing the recent political revolutions as a springboard to enhance the performance of their economies and bring change to the demography by embodying new cultural and social circumstances. The dimensions of this change are seen in three pillars: entrepreneurialism, political freedom and cosmopolitanism.
On entrepreneurialism, Dr. Momani mentioned that young Arabs are not depending on their governments to provide job opportunities rather they – the youth – are taking the intiative. Nearly two in five young Arabs are looking to start a business within the next five years with technology and retail being the top sectors of interest. About political freedom, Momani showed that Arab youth are challenging governments by expressing their opinions through the means of technology such as social media and blogs. Embrassing social media as a way to express their views, young Arabs are also trying to embrass a new identity that balances Islam’s spirit and Western cosmopolitan values in order to grow a citizenship in a multicultural environment.
Dr. Momani detailed cosmopolitanism dimension in the Q & A session. She argued that Arab youth do not see themselves as belonging only to the Islamic civilization; rather they embrace a notion of being members of both Islamic civilization and the West. This understanding symbolyzes the cosmopolitanism dimension of the change.
