"Graveyard of the Clerics: Islamism in Saudi Suburbia," , presented by Professor Pascal Menoret, Brandeis University.

Professor Menoret is the author of the book Joyriding in Riyadh: Oil, Urbanism, and Road Revolt, and will be discussing his new work on Saudi Islamism through the lens of the politics of suburbanization.
"How and why did Saudi activists embrace Islamism, since they already live in what claims to be an Islamic state? How do they organize and mobilize followers in a highly repressive environment? This talk will answer these two questions by looking closely at the 2005 municipal elections, which were won in the major cities by Islamist lists. What network made the elections? How did Islamists mobilize despite a draconian electoral code? What is the importance of local elections in the longer history of Saudi Islamism?"