Book Talk with Khalid Medani: Black Markets and Militants

CCAS is hosting Dr. Khalid Medani to discuss his latest book Black Markets and Militants: Informal Networks in the Middle East and Africa. This event is hybrid and will be held in person at the Intercultural Center (ICC) CCAS Boardroom and on Zoom. Register here. 

Understanding the political and socio-economic factors which give rise to youth recruitment into militant organizations is central to grasping some of the most important issues that affect the contemporary Middle East and Africa. In this book, Khalid Mustafa Medani explains why youth are attracted to militant organizations, examining the specific role economic globalization plays in determining how and why militant activists emerge. 

Based on extensive fieldwork, Medani offers an in-depth analysis of the impact of globalization, neoliberal reforms and informal economic networks on the rise and evolution of moderate and militant Islamist movements. In an original contribution to the study of Islamist and ethnic politics, he shows the importance of understanding when and under what conditions religious rather than other forms of identity become politically salient. Black Markets and Militants is the winner of the 2022 American Political Science Association’s (APSA) best book on Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Politics.

About the author: Dr. Khalid Medani is the Chair of the African Studies Program and Associate Professor of the Political Science Department and the Islamic Studies Institute at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.