Mai Yamani
Encyclopedia
Dr. Mai Yamani is a Saudi Arabia
n independent scholar, author, and anthropologist.
, Egypt
in 1956 to an Iraqi mother from Mosul
and a Saudi Arabian father from Mecca
. Her father is Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani who gained international fame as Saudi Arabia's Minister of Petroleum Affairs. Her paternal grandfathers came from Yemen
, hence the surname Yamani "from Yemen". Her early education included schooling in Baghdad
, Iraq and in Jeddah
, Saudia Arabia. She studied French
at Chateau Mont Choisi in Lausanne
, Switzerland
, in 1967-1975. She received her A.B. Degree (Summa cum Laude
: Highest honors) from Bryn Mawr College
outside Philadelphia, and subsequently attended Oxford University where she was the first Saudi Arabian woman to obtain a M.St.
and a D.Phil. from Oxford in Social Anthropology
. She started her career as a university lecturer in Saudi Arabia and moved on to become a scholar at leading international think tanks in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. She has been a research fellow at the Royal Institute for International Affairs in London, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution
in Washington, DC, and a visiting scholar at Carnegie Middle East Center
in Beirut. She speaks fluent Arabic, English, French and Spanish, and has a working knowledge of Persian, Hebrew and Italian.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n independent scholar, author, and anthropologist.
Biography
Dr. Mai Yamani was born in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1956 to an Iraqi mother from Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
and a Saudi Arabian father from Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. Her father is Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani who gained international fame as Saudi Arabia's Minister of Petroleum Affairs. Her paternal grandfathers came from Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, hence the surname Yamani "from Yemen". Her early education included schooling in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq and in Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
, Saudia Arabia. She studied French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
at Chateau Mont Choisi in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, in 1967-1975. She received her A.B. Degree (Summa cum Laude
Latin honors
Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...
: Highest honors) from Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
outside Philadelphia, and subsequently attended Oxford University where she was the first Saudi Arabian woman to obtain a M.St.
Master of Studies
The Master of Studies is a postgraduate degree at the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, The Australian National University and University of Dublin which typically requires both classroom study and the completion of a thesis...
and a D.Phil. from Oxford in Social Anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
. She started her career as a university lecturer in Saudi Arabia and moved on to become a scholar at leading international think tanks in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. She has been a research fellow at the Royal Institute for International Affairs in London, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
in Washington, DC, and a visiting scholar at Carnegie Middle East Center
Carnegie Middle East Center
The Carnegie Middle East Center is a think tank and research center dealing with public policy in the Middle East. It was established in Beirut, Lebanon November 2006 by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace...
in Beirut. She speaks fluent Arabic, English, French and Spanish, and has a working knowledge of Persian, Hebrew and Italian.
Works
- Changed Identities: Challenges of the New Generation in Saudi Arabia (Arabic: هويات متغيرة : تحديات الجيل الجديد في السعودية )
- Cradle of Islam: the Hijaz and the Quest for Identity in Saudi Arabia