Middle East and North Africa Research Group (MENARG)

About us

While MENARG has never been solely an area studies research group, including in its research, education and activities thematic issues stretching beyond the porous borders of the region, over the course of the years the research group has come to include scholars only remotely connected to the Middle East and North Africa. Therefore MENARG is creating the Power in Practice Network (PiPN), a research network that more clearly acknowledges the current research interests of the senior as well as the pre-doctoral researchers.

The MENARG remains multidisciplinary research group housed within the Department of Conflict and Development Studies, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium. It is primarily dedicated to the production of knowledge about - and critical insight into - the politics, society, and economy of the contemporary Middle East and North Africa. Affiliated researchers are also concerned with issues and phenomena that link the MENA to Europe and the global world order: neoliberalism, "Islam", the so-called "war on terror", and solidarity.  

As research hub MENARG remains a house with many rooms. The PiPN constitutes a home for research that speaks to the MENARG research without necessarily focusing on the region. As such MENARG sees the PiPN as an enrichment.

MENARG remains dedicated to:

  • The pursuit of theoretically informed and methodologically rigorous inquiry into the forces shaping politics, economy, and society in the contemporary Middle East and North Africa;
  • Advancing knowledge about, and understanding of, the social and political challenges faced and posed by Muslim communities in Europe;
  • Promoting scholarly publication of research related to these themes, both through MENARG sponsored publications, and via the contributions of MENARG affiliated researchers to the scientific literature;
  • The translation of specialist knowledge and theoretical insight into practical policy recommendations, as well as into policy tools for governmental and non-governmental organizations;
  • The design of courses within the social sciences curriculum of Ghent University, and the development of educational materials and programs for the general public.
  • Promoting more informed public understanding of salient issues through public seminars, speaking engagements, and contributions to the media;
  • Strengthening individual and institutional capacities for political and social research into the MENA region.