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| Arab Council for the Social Sciences | |
|---|---|
| Name | Arab Council for the Social Sciences |
| Formation | 2011 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Beirut |
| Region served | Arab World |
| Languages | Arabic, English, French |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Arab Council for the Social Sciences The Arab Council for the Social Sciences supports social science research across the Arab world, connecting scholars, institutions, and funders in the Middle East and North Africa. It fosters research capacity, grantmaking, and dissemination through regional programs, partnerships, and publications. The Council engages with scholars linked to universities, think tanks, foundations, and international organizations to address social, political, and cultural issues in cities, states, and transnational networks.
Founded in 2011, the organization emerged amid conversations at institutions such as American University of Beirut, Cairo University, University of Jordan, University of Tunis El Manar, and Université Saint-Joseph. Early activities drew on networks that included scholars associated with Columbia University, SOAS University of London, University of Oxford, Harvard University, and Princeton University. The Council’s formation intersected with regional events including the Arab Spring, the Syrian Civil War, and the Libyan Civil War, prompting partnerships with foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Carnegie Corporation of New York. It expanded programming during the 2010s through collaborations with regional centers like Bustan Center for the Study of Arab Culture and Politics, Arab Reform Initiative, Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, and international nodes such as the International Development Research Centre and United Nations Development Programme. Leadership and advisory roles have involved figures linked to American University in Cairo, Beirut Arab University, University of Baghdad, Université de la Manouba, and King Saud University.
The Council is governed by a board of trustees and advisory panels drawing expertise from universities and research centers including University of Manchester, University of Cambridge, McGill University, Tel Aviv University, and University of California, Berkeley. Governance structures mirror nonprofit practices observed at institutions like Wellcome Trust, National Endowment for the Humanities, and European Research Council while adapting to regional legal frameworks in countries such as Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, and Egypt. Executive leadership has coordinated with program directors linked to Zayed University, Qatar University, American University of Beirut, Ain Shams University, and University of Khartoum. Advisory committees have featured scholars connected to Sciences Po, King’s College London, Yale University, University of Chicago, and University of Toronto.
Programs include doctoral support, postdoctoral fellowships, training workshops, and thematic research networks operating across cities like Beirut, Cairo, Amman, Tunis, Riyadh, and Doha. Initiatives have convened scholars associated with thematic hubs such as Migration Research Centre, Gender Studies Initiative, Urban Studies Lab, and project teams linked to ISIS Research Forum, Refugee Studies Centre, Middle East Institute, and Brookings Doha Center. Capacity-building workshops have used curricula informed by course designers at London School of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Boston University, and Duke University. Regional summer schools and seminars have featured contributors from Centre for Contemporary Arab Studies, Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, Humboldt University of Berlin, Leiden University, and University of Amsterdam.
The Council administers competitive grants and fellowships in collaboration with funders including Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Rockefeller Foundation, and British Academy. Grantees have held affiliations with American University of Beirut, Cairo University, University of Jordan, Ain Shams University, and University of Algiers. Funding schemes resemble models used by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Fulbright Program, Humboldt Foundation, European Research Council, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to support fieldwork, archival research, and collaborative projects in locations such as Aleppo, Tripoli, Sana'a, Kuwait City, and Casablanca.
The Council promotes open-access publishing, working with journals, edited volumes, and working paper series connected to publishers and outlets like Cambridge University Press, Routledge, Brill Publishers, Oxford University Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Middle East Journal, International Journal of Middle East Studies, and Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Dissemination channels include policy briefs shared with United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and regional bodies such as the Arab League and Gulf Cooperation Council. The Council’s platforms have showcased research on topics linked to archives housed at American University in Cairo Press, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Sursock Museum, and libraries at University of Damascus and Dar al-Kutub.
Partnerships span universities, research centers, NGOs, and multilateral organizations including United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Organization for Migration, World Health Organization, European Union External Action Service, and British Council. Academic network ties extend to Society for Islamic Studies, Middle East Studies Association, Association of Asian Studies, African Studies Association, and regional consortia such as Arab Reform Initiative and Arab Humanities Hub. Collaborative programs have engaged think tanks like Chatham House, Carnegie Middle East Center, Council on Foreign Relations, International Crisis Group, and RAND Corporation.
Impact claims emphasize strengthened research capacity, increased publication output, and policy engagement in capitals including Beirut, Cairo, Amman, Riyadh, and Tunis. Evaluations reference partnerships with funders and academic metrics used by Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Criticism has come from observers associated with regional debates involving state censorship, academic freedom, donor influence, and institutional impartiality; commentators linked to universities such as Cairo University, Ain Shams University, University of Baghdad, American University in Cairo, and American University of Beirut have raised concerns about selection bias, sustainability, and representativeness. Responses have invoked governance reforms similar to those at International Development Research Centre and transparency practices advocated by Open Knowledge Foundation.
Category:Research organizations