The Arab uprisings of
the early 2010s raised hopes for the development of more democratic structures
and better living conditions for millions in the region. Instead, they were
followed by authoritarian backlash, civil wars, economic collapse and food and
energy insecurity. Young people are often the ones hit hardest by the
conjunction of these problems. How do they cope with insecurities and growing
uncertainties, and what drives them to pursue their own dreams in spite of
being disenfranchised?
The Dispossessed Generation is the most comprehensive, in-depth study of young people in the MENA region to date, providing invaluable insights into their self-perceptions and life chances. In this volume, an interdisciplinary team of researchers assess a survey of 12,000 sixteen- to thirty-year-olds from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen. They illuminate the extent to which young people engage with their societies and mine new opportunities from a multiplicity of crises.