The Limits of Belonging in Saudi Arabia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8965801 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rosie Bsheer (Harvard University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 748-753 |
| Publication date | 2020-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal Middle East Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-7438 • E-ISSN: 1471-6380 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s002074382000104x |
| OpenAlex | W3115874578 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 5 |
On 25 October 2017, the Saudi Arabian regime granted citizenship to Sophia, a humanoid robot developed in Hong Kong. Sophia became the world's first robot citizen. Some of the globe's wealthiest investors, foreign dignitaries, and foremost economists, journalists, and public relations experts celebrated the conferral firsthand. They were guests of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, where they attended the inaugural Future Investment Initiative. Sponsored by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the forum heralded the regime's renewed commitment to diversify the country's petro-economy, develop its human capital, and increase its global investment competitiveness. The national reform plan, dubbed Vision 2030, dominated the event's discussions. Vision 2030 was an ambitious blueprint that had as its goal nothing short of overhauling everyday life in Saudi Arabia. It entailed revamping bureaucratic capacity, building global gigacities, and opening the country to visitors and investors alike. Developing the tourism and entertainment sectors were key. Through these lucrative socio-technical experiments, the regime hoped to tackle the dire economic, financial, and social challenges it faced. To appeal to the global investor, it framed the reforms in the language of high-tech modernization, sustainable development, and socioreligious tolerance. Sophia, and all the trappings of modernization that “she” embodied, epitomized the ruling class's entrepreneurial vision for a new Saudi Arabia, and in turn, a new global citizen: the naturalized elite as well as the new Saudi Arabian citizen-subject (Fig. 1)
Appeal · Blueprint · Elite · Modernization theory · Political science · Politics · Engineering · Law · Socioeconomic Development in MENA
Macho Governance and the Selective Adoption of Gender Reforms in Egypt
Derechos humanos en Arabia Saudita
Governing Diversity, Realizing Authenticity
New Bottles for Old Wine? On Playing God
Islamic work ethic and emerging market challenges
New AI cities
New stories of urban AI
AIdeology
Citizenship in the shadow of law
Landscape Testimonies
| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 10 |