The popular mobilisations of 2010-11, known as the ‘Arab Spring’, have had a global
resonance well beyond the Arab world, affecting the lives of migrants with Arab-
Mediterranean background living in Europe. Drawing on qualitative analysis, this article
explores the impact of the Arab Spring on second generation’s young people of Egyptian
origin living in Italy. This study shows that research participants have a diverse
assessment of the outcomes of the uprisings, that they have participated in them in
different ways, and that they have contributed to the construction of common or contested
narratives around them, both in the public and private discourse. Moreover, the research
discusses the impact of these key historical events on young people’s identity and sense
of belonging, as well as on their transnational ties and practices. The transnational
political engagement of research participants is examined to investigate how second
generations experience a transnational life and build transnational identities. This study
contributes to the debate on the relationship between transnationalism and second/third
generations.