Structured around the themes of identity and change, this book examines the forces affecting the attitudes, motivation, and aspirations of the new generation in Saudi Arabia and explores the tension between perceptions of tradition and modernity. Crucial to this is an explanation by the youth of Saudi Arabia themselves of how they understand and explain this tension. How the ruling elite envision meeting the challenge of the new generation given the decline in the oil-based economy is central to this debate. While a redefinition of patriarchy is inevitable, globalization of identities represents a significant concern for the new Saudi Arabia in terms of modernizing an outdated education system and containing emerging Islamic trends among Saudi
Mai Yamani is an independent academic. She was previously a visiting scholar at Carnegie Middle East Center, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, and research fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House).