The Arab Reform Initiative will lead a Practitioner-in-Residence workshop at NYU’s Kevorkian Center in Spring 2022, titled, “Diaspora Mobilization Post 2011 and Political Change in MENA.” The virtual residency will encompass traditional academic study and direct field work on the topics of diaspora mobilization, archiving atrocities, accountability, and transitional justice, among other topics, for the purpose of peacebuilding and political change in the MENA region. Students will conduct fieldwork with both formal diaspora groups as well as informal networks. Workshop participants will assess a variety of strategies, ranging from formal legal approaches (prosecutions using universal jurisdiction), to mobilizing for elections, to the use of digital media for documentation, archiving, and countering regime narratives, as well as the factors that mediate diaspora mobilization and the ecosystems necessary for successful outcomes. Students will also conduct fieldwork with diasporic activist organizations, working within small teams to construct and present a collaborative research project. This course is ideal for students interested in social movements, international relations, state-building, transitional justice, and human rights. 

Arab Reform Initiative

The Arab Reform Initiative is an independent Arab think tank working with expert partners in the Middle East and North Africa and beyond to articulate a home-grown agenda for democratic change. It conducts research and policy analysis and provides a platform for inspirational voices based on the principles of diversity, impartiality, gender equality, and social justice.

Lead Instructors

During his time at HRW, he worked across the MENA region, particularly on Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan on a range of human rights issues ranging from freedom of expression to abuses by security forces to labour rights. A passionate advocate for change in the region, he has addressed the Security Council and the European Parliament on challenges in the Arab world. A lawyer by training, Nadim worked in the UN as Deputy Counsel for the Volcker Commission which conducted investigations into allegations of corruption into the Oil-for-Food Program in Iraq and was previously a lawyer.

She also heads ARI’s program on Arab diaspora mobilization and transnational/translocal political remittances, and their impact on the creation of new identities, solidarities, and political practices in both host and home sites. She holds a dual PhD in political science from Lund University and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, and worked previously in international development and microfinance across the Middle East region.

The registration DEADLINE is January 24, 2022

NYU Students Registration:

- Albert: NEST-GA 3005 "Topics in History & Middle East: Practitioner in Residence" 

- Google Form: bit.ly/S22PIRARI

NON-NYU Students:

- Google Form: bit.ly/S22PIRARI

Questions? Please email: fh38@nyu.edu