Lecture with Bernard Haykel, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University

Bernard Haykel, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University will deliver a lecture on the topic, Islamism versus Nationalism: Ideological Contestations, the Saudi Nationalist Project, and the Rise of MBS at 4:30pm at Filene Auditorium, Moore Hall B13 on April 27th, 2023.

This lecture will situate the recent political, social and economic changes in Saudi Arabia in the context of the country's ideological transformations and political contestations during the last three decades. In so doing, it will offer a textured and hopefully more convincing explanation of these developments than the popular, and simplistic, narratives about the Kingdom and its de facto ruler, Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS). The talk will also provide specific examples of how MBS is trying to bring about change, especially in the social and legal spheres.

Bernard Haykel is a professor of Near Eastern Studies and the director of the Institute for Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia at Princeton University. He obtained a bachelor's degree in International Politics at Georgetown University, M.A, M Phil and in 1998, Ph.D in Islamic and Middle-Eastern Studies from the University of Oxford. After working as a post-doctoral research fellow at Oxford University in Islamic Studies, he joined New York University in 1998 as associate professor before taking up his post at Princeton University. His research is concerned with the political and social tensions that arise from questions about religious identity and authority.