© Thomas Hartwell for the Open Society Institute

As an Open Society Fellow, political scientist Rabab el-Mahdi studied the prospects for democratization and social change in the Arab world. El-Mahdi examined the role of groups as diverse as Islamist political parties, bloggers, women’s rights organizations, youth groups, and the labor movement in building momentum for change. She traveled to Poland and the Czech Republic to gain insights into how popular groups sustain their influence on the political process once the revolutionary moment has passed.

During the uprising in Egypt, el-Mahdi was a sought-after commentator and appeared on CNN, al-Jazeera, the BBC, and other media outlets. She teaches at the American University in Cairo and has conducted field research in Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Yemen, Mexico, Argentina and Bolivia. The co-editor of a collection of scholarly essays, Egypt: The Moment of Change (Zed, 2009), she is also the author of Empowered Participation or Political Manipulation? Civil Society and the State in Egypt and Bolivia (Brill Publications, 2011).

El-Mahdi received her doctorate from McGill University.