- 09 Jun 2020
[Book Talk] Inside the Minds of Young Saudi Men
Abstract
For most young Saudi men, buying a home remains a distant prospect, a surprising fact in one of the world’s richest countries. The world has heard much about the challenges Saudi women face, but its adult male population faces numerous obstacles too. This is worrisome for Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, whose Vision 2030 has suffered several setbacks. This event examines the issues that young men in Saudi Arabia face, and tackles the question of what being Saudi actually means – is it a coherent national identity, or a pledge of allegiance to the Al Saud dynasty? Dr Mark C Thompson, author of Being Young, Male and Saudi: Identity and Politics in a Globalized Kingdom (Cambridge University Press, 2019), will address these questions.
Join us for this public talk on 9 Jun, 4.00pm to 5.30pm (SGT), which will be conducted online via Zoom. All are welcome to participate. An e-invite will be sent to you near the event date.
This event is free, however, registration is compulsory.
Image caption: Photo by Rishab Lamichhane on Unsplash
Listen to the full event here:
Watch the full event here:
About the Speakers
Senior Associate Fellow
Head of the Socioeconomic Unit
King Faisal Center for Research and Studies (KFCRIS)
Dr Mark C Thompson is a senior associate fellow and head of the Socio-economic Unit at King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) in Riyadh. He holds a PhD from the Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, UK.
He has lived and worked intermittently in Saudi Arabia since 2001 for diverse institutions such as Saudi Arabian Airlines, the Saudi Arabian National Guard and Prince Sultan University. He also runs his own consultancy business that offers an objective perspective of contemporary Saudi socio-political issues. His principal research areas are Saudi socio-political development and societal transformation.
In October 2019, Cambridge University Press published his book Being Young Male and Saudi: Identity and Politics in a Globalized Kingdom about societal issues and change from the perspective of young Saudi men. He has a forthcoming book co-edited with Dr Neil Quilliam entitled “Domestic Policy Making and Governance in Saudi Arabia”.
