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The Africa Institute is pleased to announce its upcoming Fall 2023 Faculty Seminar Series with Dr. Zaynab El Bernoussi who will present her work titled “Contesting Precarity from the Margins: The Politics of Dignity and Citizenship in South Africa and Morocco” on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at (12:00 noon – 02:00 pm) at The Africa Institute Auditorium (Location Map).

Abstract

This seminar will scrutinize the politics of dignity and citizenship in two contrasting postcolonial African contexts. Drawing from the cases of Tighza, Morocco, and Limpopo, South Africa, the presentation will highlight how concerns related to dignity and citizenship become catalysts for mobilization among marginalized populations. Despite the existence of social welfare and assistance programs, the lecture argues that authorities tend to undermine or dismiss the dignity and citizenship concerns of the poor, leading to varying forms of resistance and engagement. The presentation will showcase how this dismissal often triggers alternative forms of governmentality, where the youth accentuate and perform these neglected concerns, thereby underscoring the limitations of conventional political mechanisms, especially in advanced economies of the South.

Speaker

Zaynab El Bernoussi is a distinguished scholar specializing in dignity politics, international relations, and the international political economy. Her research concentrates on the politicization of dignity demands within the political evolution of the global South, with a specific focus on North Africa and the Middle East. She holds a Master in Finance (MiF) from Instituto de Empresa, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Columbia University, and a PhD in Political and Social Sciences from the Catholic University of Louvain.

Before her tenure at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), El Bernoussi held roles as an Assistant Professor and Program Director at Al Akhawayn University and Sciences Po Rabat. She also conducted research as a visiting scholar at esteemed institutions like Smith College and Harvard University. In 2021, El Bernoussi published her first book, “Dignity in the Egyptian Revolution: Protest and Demand during the Arab Uprisings,” through Cambridge University Press. El Bernoussi actively contributes to academia and international relations. She serves as the Vice-Chair of the Global South Caucus of International Studies at the International Studies Association (ISA) and is a founding member of the Security in Context network. She is affiliated with the Rabat Social Studies Institute (RSSI). Her contributions have been recognized through prestigious grants including Fulbright (2009-2011 and 2017) and Carnegie (2014 and 2022) awards. In 2015, El Bernoussi received the Arab Prize from the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS) for her article titled “Postcolonial Politics of Dignity: From the 1956 Suez Canal Nationalization to the 2011 Revolution in Egypt.” She also holds editorial board positions in African Security and PS: Political Science & Politics journals. El Bernoussi has resided in Morocco, the US, Spain, Italy, and China, adding to the depth of her international insights. Learn more.

Moderator

The seminar will be moderated by Emery Kalema, Assistant Professor of History, The Africa Institute. Read more.

 

Through these lectures and workshops, The Africa Institute reaffirms its mission as a center for the study and research of Africa and its diaspora, and its commitment to the training of a new generation of critical thinkers in African and African Diaspora studies.

The seminar will be in English.

The session is free and open to the public. Registration is mandatory, Click here to book your place.

The Africa Institute is pleased to announce its upcoming Fall 2023 Faculty Seminar Series with Dr. Zaynab El Bernoussi who will present her work titled “Contesting Precarity from the Margins: The Politics of Dignity and Citizenship in South Africa and Morocco” on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at (12:00 noon – 02:00 pm) at The Africa Institute Auditorium (Location Map).

The Africa Institute is pleased to announce its upcoming Fall 2023 Faculty Seminar Series with Dr. Zaynab El Bernoussi who will present her work titled “Contesting Precarity from the Margins: The Politics of Dignity and Citizenship in South Africa and Morocco” on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at (12:00 noon – 02:00 pm) at The Africa Institute Auditorium (Location Map).

Abstract

This seminar will scrutinize the politics of dignity and citizenship in two contrasting postcolonial African contexts. Drawing from the cases of Tighza, Morocco, and Limpopo, South Africa, the presentation will highlight how concerns related to dignity and citizenship become catalysts for mobilization among marginalized populations. Despite the existence of social welfare and assistance programs, the lecture argues that authorities tend to undermine or dismiss the dignity and citizenship concerns of the poor, leading to varying forms of resistance and engagement. The presentation will showcase how this dismissal often triggers alternative forms of governmentality, where the youth accentuate and perform these neglected concerns, thereby underscoring the limitations of conventional political mechanisms, especially in advanced economies of the South.

Speaker

Zaynab El Bernoussi is a distinguished scholar specializing in dignity politics, international relations, and the international political economy. Her research concentrates on the politicization of dignity demands within the political evolution of the global South, with a specific focus on North Africa and the Middle East. She holds a Master in Finance (MiF) from Instituto de Empresa, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Columbia University, and a PhD in Political and Social Sciences from the Catholic University of Louvain.

Before her tenure at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), El Bernoussi held roles as an Assistant Professor and Program Director at Al Akhawayn University and Sciences Po Rabat. She also conducted research as a visiting scholar at esteemed institutions like Smith College and Harvard University. In 2021, El Bernoussi published her first book, “Dignity in the Egyptian Revolution: Protest and Demand during the Arab Uprisings,” through Cambridge University Press. El Bernoussi actively contributes to academia and international relations. She serves as the Vice-Chair of the Global South Caucus of International Studies at the International Studies Association (ISA) and is a founding member of the Security in Context network. She is affiliated with the Rabat Social Studies Institute (RSSI). Her contributions have been recognized through prestigious grants including Fulbright (2009-2011 and 2017) and Carnegie (2014 and 2022) awards. In 2015, El Bernoussi received the Arab Prize from the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS) for her article titled “Postcolonial Politics of Dignity: From the 1956 Suez Canal Nationalization to the 2011 Revolution in Egypt.” She also holds editorial board positions in African Security and PS: Political Science & Politics journals. El Bernoussi has resided in Morocco, the US, Spain, Italy, and China, adding to the depth of her international insights. Learn more.

Moderator

The seminar will be moderated by Emery Kalema, Assistant Professor of History, The Africa Institute. Read more.

 

Through these lectures and workshops, The Africa Institute reaffirms its mission as a center for the study and research of Africa and its diaspora, and its commitment to the training of a new generation of critical thinkers in African and African Diaspora studies.

The seminar will be in English.

The session is free and open to the public. Registration is mandatory, Click here to book your place.

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