Saudi Women in the Mohammed bin Salman Era: Examining the Paradigm Shift

The aim of this chapter is to assess the dynamics of gender representation in Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the sweeping reforms carried out under the watch of Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. His rule marks a sharp turn in the modern history of the kingdom with a reversal from conservative readings and application of conservative social norms to an era of transformation and economic reforms that require female full participation. Consequently, women’s contributions are now expected and praised, unlike in the past when gender segregation prevented women from achieving their full potential and their empowerment was considered unnecessary in a rentier economic climate. To boost the female presence in the public sphere, women were appointed to governmental posts and allowed to participate in the limited political processes taking place in the kingdom. The aim of this chapter is to assess how the Saudi media communicate these new messages about women’s changing roles in society. Through a discourse analysis of selected Saudi newspapers, the author uncovers the frames that promote female participation in society. Ultimately, through the analysis of such constructs in the media, the chapter assesses the extent to which they mark a new dawn for Saudi women

Creating the culture of saving: Framing a life without excess in the Emirati media

This article assesses how the concept of saving has been portrayed in the Emirati media in recent years and how media coverage serves to raise awareness about the need to save energy, water and money for the future of the UAE and the future well-being of individuals, whether Emirati or foreign residents. The concept of sustainability in relation to lifestyle is an important one in this country that has been associated with exuberance, luxury and overspending. Emirati citizens and expatriates alike, according to surveys, lead consumerist lifestyles characterized by above the limits spending on luxury products, which, for some, led to falling into permanent debts. A sustainable lifestyle requires a shift in mentality and media have recently opened a dialogue about the necessity of such a change. From tips for how to change spending patterns to reporting real-life stories, both negative and positive, media engage the Emirati citizens and residents in this topic. This first of its kind research is based on qualitative content and discourse analysis of the national English and Arabic language Emirati daily newspapers collected in 2019. In the process of analysis, frames, which are the cognitive structures that we use to make sense of the world around us, were extracted from a total of 258 articles in the sample. The analysis established the context and the meaning given to the concept of sustainable lifestyle produced by the news structure and the choice of words. The results of this study testify that local newspapers in the UAE play an important role in spreading financial literacy, sustainable lifestyle and tips for saving money among their readers and were doing so already ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic that highlighted the necessity of savings among audiences worldwide. The results highlight the maturity of the Emirati press in this regard

Destination Place Identity, Touristic Diversity and Diversification in the Arabia Gulf

This study compares tourism models of five Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, UAE). It assesses to what degree each of these countries has managed to create a distinctive place identity and whether these identities are competitive enough to secure a flow of international tourists in the future. Creation of place identity takes place through the use of text combined with signs and images to add meaning to destinations, explain the destinations or the experience tourists can expect there. Using the method of content analysis and critical discourse analysis, this research brings new evidence to the study of semiotics in tourism in general. Furthermore, by pointing out tourism strategy gaps, this research provides recommendations on improvement of such strategies adopted by each of the GCC countries analyzed and for the region overall

Youth and Leadership: Future Human Capital in the United Arab Emirates in the Making

This paper assesses the strategies of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to instill leadership values and to encourage youth to take leadership roles as a solution for the future sustainable economic growth. In recent years, the UAE government has stepped up initiatives to encourage the Emirati youth to become leaders, as seen in the establishment of, among others, the UAE Youth Global Initiative, the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Emirates Youth Council, the National Youth Agenda, and the UAE Youth Programme launched under the UAE Government Leaders Programme (UAEGLP). Such steps are accompanied by country’s support for high quality education on a tertiary level available to every citizen willing to pursue their education. This article examines in what ways such attempts at social engineering may provide solutions to the country’s future needs and serve as a model abroad. The research was conducted using data collected from governmental agencies, and interviews with representatives of youth government initiatives

Social media and urban social movements: The anatomy of continued protest in authoritarian contexts

© 2018 by the Centre for Arab Unity Studies. All rights reserved. The goal of this research is to explore the opportunities brought about by the use of new media in urban protests. Specifically, it investigates the use of the Internet in modern protest movements that failed to bring about the changes they sought, using Bahrain as a case study. The focus is put on urban movements that continue revolutionary activism off- and online in the sixth year after the failure of the Bahraini uprising. This research assesses the need to maintain an online presence for these cities and explains the goals of their online presence. The paper also aims to understand what type of variations exist within these urban movements; and analyzes the interplay between such online manifestations and online censorship. This research is based on the critical discourse analysis of web content and graphic representations produced by Bahraini activists on particular online sites pertaining to each city in question

The use of social media from revolution to democratic consolidation: The Arab Spring and the case of Tunisia

This research assesses social media as a tool of popular mobilization and their role in supporting democratic processes using the case study of Tunisia four years after the revolution. Social media have been widely used during the Arab Spring in the MENA region; yet, their democratizing effects have not been thoroughly researched in countries that have recently undergone democratic transitions. Tunisia offers a unique opportunity to assess whether online democracy initiatives retain their credibility among the citizens and to what point they contribute in promoting and strengthening democracy. The research was conducted using a qualitative method through interviews with Tunisian activists and representatives of NGOs who use the Internet as a tool of democratization. It provides new evidence on the role of the Internet as a democratizing tool and to the potential dangers to political stability that it poses to countries in the process of democratic consolidation

Bahraini Women in the 21st Century: Disputed Legacy of the Unfinished Revolution

The role of women in the Arab Spring uprisings requires special attention. Indeed, women participated alongside men in recent political movements and were actively involved in shaping the outcomes of these processes. The case of Bahrain is especially interesting. Even though the Bahraini “Day of Rage” movement was ultimately marginalized at large, it had unlikely consequences for Bahraini women. As female empowerment has been a high priority on the government’s agenda, participation of women in the public sphere serves important functions and in the aftermath of Bahraini uprising it got an additional boost. The aim of this paper is to assess how the role of Bahraini women has been interwoven with political liberalization reforms in the first decade on the 21st century and assess its importance for the Bahraini authorities. Secondly, it aims at analyzing the outcomes of Arab Spring uprising for Bahraini women. It asserts that as the pro-government and anti-government movements took to the streets, social divisions of Bahrainis deepened and equally, affected female activists. Ultimately, the article ends with a discussion over the prospects of female empowerment by pro-democracy movements in the Middle East

Authoritarian Upgrading and the “Pink Wave”

This paper analyzes the complex processes that have been shaping the increased involvement of Bahraini women in politics, especially their share in elected political offices as MPs. Looking back at the unprecedented rise of female MPs in electoral polls in 2018, this research examines the last two decades of female progress in politics and looks in depth at the contributing factors. Using the initial factors established through a literature review, it examines their relevance in the Bahraini political environment, and establishes additional factors peculiar to the kingdom. The role of women is interwoven with political liberalization reforms in the first decade of the twenty-first century, but it was also shaped by the current events, namely, the popular uprising of 2011. The uprising was ultimately contained; yet, the authoritarian upgrading that followed paradoxically created opportunities for greater women’s engagement in electoral politics. The case of Bahrain sheds light on how sectarianism, popular uprisings, and authoritarianism affect women’s position in electoral politics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region