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| Institute of Maghreb Studies | |
|---|---|
| Name | Institute of Maghreb Studies |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Headquarters | Tunis |
| Region served | Maghreb |
| Leader title | Director |
Institute of Maghreb Studies is a scholarly research center focused on the history, culture, languages, societies, and politics of the Maghreb region, engaging with topics spanning Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania. It functions as a nexus for specialists from institutions such as the University of Algiers, University of Tunis El Manar, University of Rabat, Cairo University, and international centers like the School of Oriental and African Studies, Institut Français, and the Max Weber Foundation. The Institute hosts research projects, publishes journals, and maintains archival collections that inform studies related to events such as the Algerian War of Independence, the Sand War, the Tunisian Revolution, and the Libyan Civil War.
The Institute traces its roots to postcolonial initiatives linking scholars from Kingdom of Morocco elites, Tunisian nationalists associated with figures like Habib Bourguiba, and intellectuals from Algerian National Liberation Front circles seeking institutional frameworks similar to the École pratique des hautes études and the Collège de France. Early collaborations involved exchanges with the British Academy, Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, and the Oriental Institute (Chicago), and reflected responses to treaties such as the Evian Accords and regional disputes like the Western Sahara conflict. Over decades the Institute expanded during waves of scholarly interest coinciding with conferences on the Arab Spring, studies of the Barbary Coast, and UNESCO initiatives on cultural heritage that included sites like Kairouan and Timbuktu.
The Institute's mission emphasizes interdisciplinary study of the Maghreb through partnerships with entities like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the European Union External Action Service, and national ministries such as the Ministry of Culture (Tunisia). Objectives include documenting material from archaeological campaigns at Carthage, conducting linguistic surveys of Tamazight dialects across regions including Kabylie and Rif Mountains, analysing legal transformations from codes like the Code Napoléon to contemporary constitutions of Algeria, and supporting comparative work on migration involving routes to Ceuta, Melilla, and Lampedusa.
Governance combines academic councils drawn from universities such as University of Grenoble Alpes, University of Oxford, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and research institutes including the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Instituto Cervantes, and the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. A board of trustees includes representatives from regional bodies like the Arab Maghreb Union, cultural agencies such as the Institut du Monde Arabe, and donors from foundations like the Ford Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Administrative divisions mirror departments at institutions such as the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences and include ethics oversight influenced by norms from the International Council on Archives.
Research themes produce monographs and articles in journals comparable to Cahiers d'études africaines, Journal of North African Studies, and Arabica, and the Institute issues working papers read by scholars at Harvard University, Columbia University, Université libre de Bruxelles, and University of California, Berkeley. Projects have addressed land tenure histories tied to events like the Bizerte crisis, studies of Islamic scholarship connected to figures such as Ibn Khaldun and al-Bannani, and analyses of urbanism in Tunis Medina and Fes el Bali. The publication program includes lexica on Maghrebi Arabic, critical editions of archival collections from consulates like the British Consulate in Tangier, and collaborative volumes with presses such as Brill, Routledge, and Cambridge University Press.
The Institute offers fellowships modelled after programs at the Fulbright Program, postdoctoral appointments similar to those at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and doctoral co-supervision with universities including Université de Strasbourg and King's College London. Short courses draw on specialists from the British Museum, Louvre Museum, and the National Library of Tunisia, covering paleography, field methods used in excavations at sites like Volubilis, and language instruction in Classical Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic, and Tamazight. Professional development partnerships mirror training exchanges with the International Criminal Court and public history initiatives seen at the Smithsonian Institution.
Strategic collaborations link the Institute with regional archives such as the Archives Nationales de Tunisie and the Archives nationales d'outre-mer, European projects like Horizon 2020, and transatlantic networks involving the African Studies Association and the Middle East Studies Association. The Institute convenes joint programs with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, cultural conservation projects with ICOMOS, and policy dialogue forums attracting participants from African Union delegations and ministries linked to migration policy hubs such as the IOM.
Facilities include research libraries patterned on collections at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the British Library, an archive of colonial and diplomatic records comparable to holdings in the National Archives (UK), and digitization labs utilising standards set by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Special collections hold photographs from photographers like Lucien A. de Bergh, maps from cartographers involved in the Berlin Conference era, and oral histories with interlocutors recorded in cities such as Oran, Sousse, and Nouakchott. The Institute maintains laboratory space for material analysis echoing capabilities at the Getty Conservation Institute and coordinates conservation work with museums including the Bardo National Museum.
Category:Research institutes Category:Maghreb studies Category:Cultural heritage institutions