APSA’s MENA Programming continued in 2017 with a special conference bringing together alumni from across all four years of MENA Workshops. The MENA Political Science Research and Publication Conference was held in Tunis from July 25–27, 2017. Organized in partnership with the Center for Maghreb Studies in Tunis (CEMAT) and the Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS), the conference offered an opportunity to share and receive critical feedback on research manuscripts, network with colleagues from across the MENA region, and contribute to a range of forthcoming publications.
Attending authors included 32 PhD students and early-career scholars from across the MENA region, Europe, and North America, including 17 MENA Workshops alumni. Over 80% of attending authors were citizens of MENA region countries. In addition, 20 leading faculty in the field of MENA Political Science attended the conference as discussants. The three-day program included working group sessions, plenary sessions, roundtables, and skill sharing discussions. Each morning, attendees broke out into assigned working groups on a variety of themes, including: “Mobilization and Decision Making,” “Discourse and Diffusion among Social Movements,” “Authoritarian Control and Legitimation,” “Elite Resilience and State Networks,” and “Identity and Integration.” The simultaneous working group sessions allowed for intense and dedicated discussion of each paper, which were shared with attendees in advance of the conference. Afternoon sessions included spirited discussion on professional development topics such as “Ethics in Fieldwork,” “Political Science in times of Contentious Politics,” and “Scholarly Public Engagement.” Additionally, attendees enjoyed a panel of local guest speakers who offered frank assessment of the current challenges in Tunisia’s political transition. A group dinner in the picturesque neighborhood of Sidi Bou Said offered a pleasant closing to the program.
Attendees at the July 2017 MENA Political Science Research and Publication Conference in Tunis, Tunisia.
Following the conference, attendees were encouraged to revise their research manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed international journals. Attendees may also be invited to contribute their research to potential journal special issues in collaboration with other scholars. APSA’s MENA program will continue in 2018 with a two-part workshops series, research grants for project alumni, collaborations with departments of political science throughout the MENA region, and events at APSA’s 2018 Annual Meeting. For more information, see web.apsanet.org/mena/ or contact menaworkshops@apsanet.org.
