The Saudi Social Awakening

Explaining Rapid Social Change
Based on a decade of ethnographic research, this book reveals that Saudi youth is pivotal to the rapid social change being witnessed in Saudi Arabia.

Since serious social reforms were first announced in Saudi Arabia in 2017, the country has witnessed dramatic change. This has led to the significant curtailment of the religious establishment’s authority, a visible shift in public culture, and the emergence of a dynamic, evolving relationship between the state and its citizens. This book captures the countrys profound social changes and identifies the factors that triggeredand later acceleratedtheir pace.

The book draws on rich ethnographic data from repeated visits to Saudi Arabia between 2014 and 2024, including over 250 interviews with religious actors, state officials and ordinary Saudisespecially youth. Rather than relying solely on a Western analytical lens, the book follows the lates