The Century Foundation is proud to announce the release of Arabic and Kurdish translations of selected reports from Citizenship and Its Discontents: The Struggle for Rights, Pluralism, and Inclusion in the Middle East.

Pluralism and rights are under threat from communal violence, authoritarianism, and religious identity politics. How is the Middle East attempting to create more inclusive rights and citizenship? How do religious and nonreligious minorities envision their future in the region? On what basis can communities enjoy citizenship or seek rights in an era when law increasingly draws on religion and majoritarianism for its legitimacy?

This multi-year initiative, supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, brought together researchers, scholars, and activists who drew on extensive fieldwork to open a new line of discussion in the Middle East as well as among Western policymakers. The project’s reports, interviews, and podcasts are available on The Century Foundation’s website. The book, Citizenship and Its Discontents: The Struggle for Rights, Pluralism, and Inclusion in the Middle East, can be ordered online.

The Arabic translations were produced by the Asfari Institute at the American University of Beirut with the support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and are available on the Institute’s Active Arab Voices blog. The Kurdish translation was produced with the support of the Luce Foundation.

The following reports can be read in translation:

  • Thanassis Cambanis, “Reviving the Quest for Universal Rights: Overcoming Religious Objections and Other Taboos That Stymie Political Debate,” English, Arabic, عربى
  • Lina Attalah, “Innovative Arab Media and the New Outlines of Citizenship: A Collaborative Vision Builds Stronger Journalism Across the Region,” English, Arabic, عربى
  • Joseph Daher, “Pluralism Lost in Syria’s Uprising: How the Opposition Strayed from Its Inclusive Roots,” English, Arabic, عربى
  • Mona Fawaz, “Beirut Madinati and the Prospects of Urban Citizenship: The City as a Stage for Effective Political Action,” English, Arabic, عربى
  • Cale Salih and Maria Fantappie, “Kurdish Nationalism at an Impasse: Why Iraqi Kurdistan is Losing Its Place at the Center of Kurdayeti,” English, Kurdish, کوردی – سۆرانی
  • Elizabeth Thompson, “The Arab World’s Liberal–Islamist Schism Turns 100: A Colonial-Era Legacy That Helps Dictators Rule Today,” English, Arabic, عربى