Issam M. Fares | Former Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon

A lecture and open discussion with Sebastian Abdallah, Lecturer, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

24 May 2012

\\IFI’s Program on Youth in the Arab World

cordially invites you to a lecture and open discussion with Sebastian Abdallah, Lecturer, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
“Energy Flows and Resonance in Youth’s Talent Development”

Wednesday 30 May 2012 | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Auditorium B1, College Hall, AUB

Sebastian Abdallah teaches Social Sciences, Community Development, and Youth Development Approaches involving Urban Street Culture, Sports Methods, and Talent Development. He has worked as a Community Developer in these fields in a Dutch context, and has combined his interests in his PhD research.

His aim is to analyze the meanings, substance, and effects of success experiences of youth from disadvantaged neighborhoods in Amsterdam and Beirut. Framed as a socio-psychological phenomenon, he relies on the sociology of emotions to explore and research which meanings youth in deprived neighborhoods give to success, how they look for it, and what it does for them. Although there are differences between the youth of these capitals, there are interesting similarities in their practices and strategies.

Analysis of these differences and similarities will provide insight into how youth climb out of their disadvantages, and give Community Development Organizations in both countries perspectives and tools for new practices and strategies. Guiding theoretical concepts include Interaction Ritual Chains and Emotional Energy (Collins 1993, 2004), Discourse Resonance and Feeling Rules (Duyvendak 1992, 1995, Hochschild 1983) and Navigation (Paulle 2005).

His research is supported by the Amsterdam School of Social Work (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences), and the Netherlands Institute of Beirut.