March 2021 – Swedish Middle East & North Africa Network

30/03/202130/03/2021

A report on Lebanon’s ‘October revolution’

Street Solidarity: A Report on Lebanon’s ‘October Revolution’

Author: Erin Cory (Malmö University)
2020

Abstract

A report from November 2019, when the revolution was at its beginning.

“The sit-ins and dance parties feel long ago indeed in the face of mounting desperation. Lebanese politics has never lent itself to neat conclusions. Modes of dissent and solidarity, too, quickly change in color and scope in Lebanon, depending on what the moment calls for. We might expect the revolution – and the protests that carry it – to continue in some form, even if only, for the moment, online.”

29/03/202126/03/2021

UI Brief: Economic transition in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia

Economic Diversification and the Youth Population in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia: Double Dividend or Double Jeopardy?

Author: Jeanine Schriemer (The Swedish Institute of International Affairs)
March, 2021

The Swedish Institute of International Affairs

Abstract

Oil has shaped the social contract between the state and its citizens, how will the transition to a more diverse economy affect state-society relations?

This UI Brief aim to explore the economic transitions of two monarchies facing urgent pressure to reform, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, in order to shed light on the main drivers of and obstacles to transition.

Go to publication

26/03/202130/03/2021

Article on Palestinian refugee identities in Lebanon

Making home in exile: Everyday practices and belongings in Palestinian refugee camps

Author: Erin Cory (Malmö University)
2020

Intellect

Abstract

Palestinians share a history of exile oriented towards the loss and reclamation of a homeland, often expressed through a shared visual lexicon and mythos. In the context of refugee camps, however, local visual culture and everyday practices demonstrate how Palestinian lives are also grounded in local stories and experiences. How do Palestinian refugees deploy everyday practices to create their home spaces? What can these practices reveal about refugees’ myriad belongings? And, in thinking about these practices, what can be said about how a feeling of home can be articulated in exile, which is at its heart the forced removal/dislocation from home?

18/03/202116/03/2021

Publication on political tensions within Israel

Låst läge i splittrat Israel
– In Swedish

Author: Isabell Schierenbeck (University of Gothenburg)
2020

Världspolitikens Dagsfrågor,
The Swedish Institute of International Affairs

Abstract

(SV)
Israel har hållit tre val på mindre än ett år. Nyvalen är ett tecken på att motsättningarna inom det israeliska samhället har skärpts, samtidigt som stora delar av politiken har rört sig åt höger.

(ENG)
Israel has held three elections in less than a year. The snap elections are signs of how the political and social tensions within the Israeli society have grown. At the same time great parts of politics in Israel has shifted to the right.

To the publication

15/03/202111/03/2021

Case Report on integration in Turkey

Case Report: Carsamba, Bursa, Turkey – Integration Concerns of Parents about Syrian Children

Authors: Zahid Mukayed & Ezgi Irgil (University of Gothenburg)
November, 2020

Tufts University, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy

Introduction

This report focuses on the Turkish government’s treatment of refugees and Syrian children with the main focus on three concerns: potential statelessness, loss of the Arabic language and racism.

11/03/202111/03/2021

Article on positionality in migration studies

Broadening the Positionality in Migration Studies: Assigned Insider Category

Author: Ezgi Irgil (University of Gothenburg)
June, 2020

Migration Studies, Oxford University Press

Abstract

This article contributes to the debates on positionality in migration studies by introducing assigned insider as a new category. I define it as a position when both the interviewees and the researcher are of the same local origin in which the researcher is considered ‘an insider of the host community’ and the interview questions are about a migrant group. I developed this category based on interviews with host community members during my field study in Bursa, Turkey, where I was born and raised. Previous studies focused on the researcher being an insider from a migrant community or being an outsider conducting research on a migrant community different from his/her own.

05/03/202105/03/2021

UI paper on transitional justice in Syria

Addressing Atrocity in Syria: New Challanges for Transitional Justice

Authors: Ashi Al-Kahwati & Johanna Mannergren Selimovic
March 2021

The Swedish Institute of International Affairs

Abstract

By studying the war in Syria, this paper aim to contribute to the wider discussion on the role of transitional justice in societies transitioning from conflict, and specifically regarding how to understand and address continuities of violence across war and peace.