Youth, Revolt, Recognition

The series of demonstrations now commonly known as the “Arab Spring” ignited the Arab world in
2010/2011, and saw young people taking to the streets to protest against their corrupt government
system hoping to make a change. The initial spark that aroused this wave of protests took place in
Tunisia, as a humble fruit vendor set himself ablaze after being humiliated, beaten and robbed by
police officers. The protests in Tunisia, which have since been dubbed the “Tunisian Revolution”,
expanded across the Middle East in a domino effect that attracted attention the world over, largely
thanks to young bloggers who organized demonstrations, filmed events as they happened, and
distributed information online. There is no denying the widespread attention garnered by the Arab
spring demonstrations, but we must now consider the results and political changes achieved since
these events. The focus of this paper lies on youth political involvement in Tunisia, with the aim of
providing an understanding of the ways in which young people have tried to gain influence, both
through traditional politics, as well as through alternative methods of political engagement, such as
civil society groups and social networking sites. The demographics in Tunisian society will be
considered as a starting point, followed by an investigation of youth political representation