“The Sky is the Limit”: Saudi Youth in a Changing Kingdom, Beyond Narratives, Interpretations and Misperceptions

Abstract

Current coverage by Western media of Saudi Arabia and Saudi youth conveys a range of narratives, interpretations and misperceptions about the ongoing changes in the country. In particular, this study intends to highlight how the young leadership, led by Mohammed bin Salman, is implementing a new “cultural diplomacy” inspired by foreign consultancies and outlined in Saudi Vision 2030. However, it seems that the actual moral and cultural impact of such diplomacy on the young, educated, connected and often unemployed Saudi youth is not a matter of official concern. This study draws on official Saudi and non-Saudi documents, facts and figures, press reports and recent literature rather than on field research, in the belief that changeable expectations and aspirations expressed by Saudi youth in the MbS era may be influenced by readily accepted narratives forged both inside and outside the country.