Demonstrations, Hopes, and Dreams [On Being]

Demonstrations, Hopes, and Dreams

February 10, 2011

We make deeper sense of the human dynamics unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa. Anthropologist Scott Atran offers bracing context on the promise of this moment and the response it asks from the watching world.

About the Image

School's out at Abdelkrim Khattabi Primary in the Jamaa Mezuak neighborhood of Tetuán, Morocco. Five of the seven plotters in the Madrid train bombing who blew themselves up attended the school, as did several volunteers for martyrdom in Iraq.

(photo: Scott Atran)

Program Details

Unheard Cuts

» Unedited Interview with Scott Atran
(mp3, 88:04)

Hear the Music

» Show Playlist ¦ listen to full-length tracks of each song played in the program

About the Image

Pertinent Posts from the Being Blog

» Photo Triptych of Possibilities in Cairo
Christians protecting Muslims during prayer and the mundane act of picking up the trash. Great on-the-scene photos of the Tahrir Square protests from Nevine Zaki.

» It's an Honor to Watch Your Truth Stand Up
A magnificent reflection capturing the sentiment many of us are experiencing as we watch the protests in Egypt from afar.

» What Will the Muslim Population Look Like in 2030?
Pakistan surpasses Indonesia. Palestinian women flip a trend on its head. A new poll from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

» Pharaoh Has Left Town, Now the Hard Work Begins!
Now that Pharaoh has been removed, Rose Aslan writes, the long process of cleaning up corruption and education begins — and, by the signs of it, Egypt's future couldn't look brighter.

» Talking about Islamism
A reflection on how we talk about violence done in the name of a religion or ideology.

» How Do We Understand the Positions of Egypt's Coptic Christians in All This Coverage?
A reminder to look for stories coming out of Egypt that are "outside the bubble" of Tahrir Square.

» Visions of Islam in Egypt: From the Muslim Brotherhood to Shariah Law
A video primer on the Muslim Brotherhood — its history and potential role in Egypt — with Haroon Moghul.

» A Twitterscript with Terrorism Expert Scott Atran
Our aggregated tweets of Krista's interview.

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Scott Atran
Atran is Research Director in Anthropology at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris, France. He is also Visiting Professor of Psychology and Public Policy at the University of Michigan and Residential Scholar in Sociology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.