Bahrain has had a long history of exiling its opponents as a way to regulate political dissent. The 2011 political uprising in Bahrain marked a new phase in the history of Bahraini outmigration and exile politics. The brutal repression with which the protest movement was met (particularly from March to July 2011) led to a new wave of political exile, affecting a wider range of socio-economic categories. With most of the Arab countries, notably Syria, themselves in turmoil and Gulf countries having closed ranks behind the Bahraini government, the destinations of out-migrants also became more limited with the UK and Lebanon on the top of the list.
This research examines the forms of opposition and advocacy that were built on previous exile experiences, focusing on a new generation of opponents that includes children of political exiles and long-time expatriates in Bahrain. It analyses the novelty of different modes of action, in particular a form of highly efficient activism “by project” that targets both the Bahraini regime and the contradictions of the British foreign policy.
This seminar forms part of the 'Social Movements and Popular Mobilisation in the MENA Research Theme'.
Event Details
Speaker: Claire Beaugrand, Institut Français du Proche Orient
Discussant: Dr Filippo Dionigi, LSE
Chair: Dr John Chalcraft, LSE
Date: Wednesday 3 June 2015
Time: 16.30-18.30
Location: Room 9.05, Tower 2, Clement's Inn, LSE
Attendance: Registration for this event has now closed.
Speaker
Claire Beaugrand joined the Institut Français du Proche Orient (IFPO) in Jerusalem in June 2013 after working as Gulf Senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, where she covered the Bahrain’s political deadlock. Since then, her research focuses on the Gulf investment policies, their rationale and articulation with aid programs in Palestine.