Saturday 5 July, Bradford Literature Festival (BLF): Doha Debates brought their globally acclaimed town hall debate format to Bradford Literature Festival with a very special sold-out event featuring an international panel of politicians, scholars and students to discuss the evolving role of the modern nation state in shaping personal and collective identity.
Chaired by award-winning international journalist and host of Al-Jazeera English’s flagship daily news vodcast ‘The Take’ Malika Bilal, speakers included Palestinian scholar and professor at Columbia University Dr Wael B. Hallaq, Indian politician and author Dr Shashi Tharoor, and Belgian historian Dr David Engels, as well as students from Qatar, the UK and across the world, who provided commentary and profound questions to the expert speakers’ discussion.
Panellists reflected on the definitions of national identity, the history and rise of the nation state, and whether national identity still has a meaningful connection to who we are and how we live together.
While Dr Tharoor defended the integrity of the nation state and his belief in a civic nationalism that accommodates diversity and plurality, and Engels posited the possibility of a multi-layered sense of identity, Dr Hallaq remained critical of the concept. He reflected on the growing dominance of politics over ethics within the current construction of nation states and national identity, and the impact this has on the ability of humans to “flourish”.
The question of an alternative to the nation state was a powerful topic throughout the session, and Dr Hallaq implored the students to continue having conversations like these. He commented that it was the duty of young people to pursue these questions, and that “this sense of the debate is one of the most precious fora – this must be repeated everywhere”.
Bilal took time at the end of session to invite the panellists to reflect on what they would take away from the session. David Engels pointed out that while there was some disagreement during the debate, all of those participating in the discussion were asking the same questions, echoing the significance of moments like this one, facilitated by Doha Debates, in finding a shared commonalities as we look ahead to the future.
Amjad Atallah, Managing Director of Doha Debates, said: “Bringing Doha Debates back to Bradford Literature Festival has once again affirmed the power of open, intergenerational dialogue,” said Amjad Atallah, Managing Director of Doha Debates. “The energy, honesty, and curiosity our student participants brought to the stage, alongside world-class thinkers, made this town hall more than a debate. It was a reflection of how young people are not just questioning the future of national identity but actively shaping it through truth-seeking conversations that invite reflection and challenge assumptions. We’re deeply grateful to our partners at BLF and to everyone who helped create a space where diverse perspectives could be shared and explored in real time.”
Syima Aslam, Founder, CEO and Artistic Director, said: “We partnered with Doha Debates for the festival’s tenth anniversary in 2024, and we’re delighted to welcome them back for this town hall event at Bradford Literature, which allows us to bring together a major panel of international thought leaders. Bradford Literature Festival continues to be a vibrant space for complex and critical conversations, and this debate has exemplified our commitment to exploring dialogues from a range of perspectives, which that challenge and inspire our audiences”.
Doha Debates formed part of the wider BLF programme, which this year delivered over 500 events across 10 days, cementing Bradford Literature Festival as one of the UK’s top literature festivals. Authors and speakers who took part in the 2025 festival included John Cooper Clarke, Grace Dent, Sanjeev Baskar, Lemn Sissay and Ash Sarkar.