Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the personal, long-term transformations induced by the experience of political engagement among young activists of Morocco, Tunisia and the Egyptian diaspora.

Paper long abstract:

The popular uprisings that shook North Africa and Middle East in 2011, which are commonly grouped together under the label of 'Arab spring', are characterized by diverse outcomes, ranging from precarious democratic experiments to coups d'état and civil wars. Although many observers and participants concede that the results have fallen short of expectations, a statement one can frequently hear is also that, despite frustration, 'nothing will ever be the same again'. I move from the analysis of this idea to explore the biographical changes experienced by activists who took part in the uprisings of the 'long 2011', in order to highlight continuities and discontinuities with the forms of political socialization experienced earlier, and the personal, long-term transformations induced by the experience of political engagement. This presentation is based on an ongoing ethnography of activism in Morocco, Tunisia and in the Egyptian diaspora, undertaken in the framework of the research project Globally Sensitive: Revolt, Citizenship, and Expectations for the Future in North Africa.