Critical Thinkers Award
The award highlights dissertations that offer original contributions to understanding the economic, political, social, and cultural dimensions of neoliberalism and its influence on the region’s past, present, and future. Eligible research may address themes such as political economy and governance; environmental history and politics; urban development; migration and refugee studies; labor studies; public health; culture; gender; education; technology; and theoretical or philosophical approaches to neoliberalism. The award values scholarship that combines theoretical insight with empirical analysis and explores alternative pathways for the MENA region.
Eligibility
- PhD dissertations (published and unpublished).
- Dissertations in English, Arabic, and French.
- Dissertations written in MENA universities or by MENA students in non-MENA
universities.
Selection Criteria
The winning dissertation will make an original contribution toward understanding the past, present, and future of neoliberalism in MENA. Submissions may cover a wide range of topics,including but not limited to: Political Economy and Governance; Environmental History and Politics; Urban Politics and Development, Refugee and Migration Studies, Labor Studies, Public Health and Healthcare, Culture, Gender, Education, Technology, Theories and Philosophies of Neoliberalism.
We encourage submissions from any academic discipline that provide both theoretical insights and concrete analyses of neoliberalism and neoliberal policies, politics, and institutions in MENA, contributing fresh perspectives and exploring alternative futures for the region.
Terms of the Award
$1000 Award
Recognition of the Award during the Annual Pathways Conference held each year between September and November.
2025 Critical Thinkers Award Winner
Bassem El Bendary
Educator and Curriculum Maker
PhD in Social Studies Education and Teacher Education , Coloumbia Univeristy
Bassem El Bendary won the award for his dissertation titled "Class in Class: Exploring the Development of the Transformative Potential between Socio-economically Privileged Students in Egypt," which investigates the complex process of critical consciousness development among students attending elite, private schools in Egypt. Focusing on Transformative Learning Theory, the research explores how privileged adolescents begin to reflect critically on their own socio-economic advantages and the profound inequalities within Egyptian society. The study examines the specific peer-to-peer interactions, classroom dynamics, and curriculum elements that either facilitate or impede their ability to recognize and challenge their embedded frames of reference.
2024 Critical Thinkers Award Winner
Noha Roushdy
Cultural Anthropologist
PhD in Anthropology, Boston University
Noha Roushdy won the award for her dissertation "Between Class and Nation: international education and the dilemmas of elite belonging in contemporary Egypt" . This research analyzes how elite international education in wealthy areas like New Cairo causes a feeling of non-belonging among privileged Egyptian youth. By isolating them in private schools and gated communities, this educational path disconnects young people from broader challenges of Egyptian society, leading to anxiety about their national identity and class status.
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