The Arab Political Science Network (APSN) organized a roundtable to discuss the experiences of minority groups in nation-building and identity formation processes across the Middle East and North Africa region. Discussions around national identities and the place of minorities in nation building projects have been a longstanding controversial issue in the MENA region. On another level colonialism played a major role in identity formation in the MENA region by introducing itself as a protector of minorities. This has had a big impact on the discourse of minorities and nation building.

In this roundtable we ask: How does race and ethnicity affect processes of national identity formation in the region? How do different minority groups interpret these processes, negotiate their place in them, and push against some of their manifestations? The discussion will identify the role of politics, geography, and culture in shaping the place of minorities in the dialogue over national identity across the Arab countries. It will highlight the effects of political conflict, historical state-society dynamics, and geopolitical interests in the formation of national identities.

Panel Chair:

Nermin Allam

Assistant Professor of Politics at Rutgers University-Newark

Moderator:

Abdulwahab Kayyali

Independent Researcher and Consultant

Speakers:

Bessma Momani

Assistant Vice-President, Research and International, Office of Research

Full Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Waterloo

Romain Ferrali 

Assistant Professor, Aix-Marseille School of Economics

Shamiran Mako

Assistant Professor of International Relations, Boston University