On 31 May 2022, Prof. Mohamed-Mahmoud Mohamedou, Professor of International History and Politics and Deputy Director at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, delivered the fourth ‘Perspectives’ lecture of the Max Planck Foundation on the topic of The Modern Landscape of Statehood in the Arab World.
A leading expert of state building, transitions to democracy and political violence focusing on the Middle East and North Africa, Prof. Mohamedou presented his research on a deconstructionist approach to statehood, arguing that the Westphalian model is of limited use when analysing political systems in modern Arab and North African states.
Prof Mohamedou referred to his recently edited volume on the topic, State-Building in the Middle East and North Africa – One Hundred Years of Nationalism, Politics, and Religion (London: IB Tauris/Bloomsbury, 2021) in which he analyses a century of statebuilding processes in the region and argues for de-Westphalianising statehood.
Following the lecture, Prof. Mohamedou answered questions and engaged in discussions with Research Fellows of the Foundation on theoretical and practice-oriented questions related to the lecture and Prof. Mohamedou’s broader experience and to the work of the Max Planck Foundation.