Events

All the events organized by the Research Ethics in the Middle East and North Africa Project will be included in this section. Because this initiative is intended to address a variety of challenges facing the increasing globalized field of social science research, our events cover a wide range of topics and activities.

Workshop in New York City, United States of America

The Special Commission on Social Science Research in the Middle East and North Africa (REMENA Project) hosted scholars in a conference at the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center in New York City on May 28th and May 29th, 2025. 

This meeting brough together more than 40 experts and stakeholders in a culminating discussion of the Commission’s draft guidelines for ethical research. Drawing on the work of earlier workshops in Amman, Montreal, Tunis, Cairo, Doha, and London, these guidelines include recommendations specifically tailored for funders, government research oversight agencies, universities and other early career incubators, publishers and journal editors, and senior scholars and departmental advisors. The online version of the draft guidelines can be accessed here.

Workshop in London, United Kingdom

This workshop was organized by the Special Commission on Social Science Research in the Middle East and North Africa (REMENA Project) in partnership with the SOAS University of London. The meetings of the workshop took place at the SOAS University, in London, UK, from June 11 to June 13, 2024.

The London workshop focused on sharing REMENA preliminary findings and developing a strategic plan for publication and dissemination of recommendations to universities, funders, publishers and others who shape the research enterprise in the region. In addition, several members of the workshop participated in a public event. The public event, which included Dr. Adam Habib (Director of SOAS), Dr. Lisa Anderson (Dean Emerita of International Relations at Columbia University) and Dr. Rabab El Mahdi (Associate Professor of Political Science at The American University in Cairo), addressed protest politics and academic freedom in time of transition, crisis, and war.

Workshop in Doha, Qatar

This workshop was organized in partnership with the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. The meeting took place at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, in Qatar, from January 27 to January 29, 2024.

The endeavor focused on sharing our preliminary findings and our tentative recommendations to universities, publishers and others who shape the research enterprise in the region with colleagues who work in other parts of the world, particularly Asia and Africa.  We also explored whether similar questions have generated different responses elsewhere and how the experience of researchers outside the Middle East and North Africa might help us refine, improve and enhance both the findings and the impact of this project. In addition to the closed workshop, hosted a public lecture at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, so as to be sure our work is itself as widely disseminated as possible.

Workshop in Cairo, Egypt

This workshop was organized by the Research Ethics in the Middle East and North Africa (REMENA) project at Columbia University. The workshop took place in Cairo, Egypt, on March 3-4, 2023 and was made possible thanks to the generous funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Our workshop in Cairo was hosted by the Alternative Policy Solutions, public policy research project at the American University in Cairo, and the discussion focused on two lines of REMENA’s work: 1) the financing and institutional contexts of social science research in the region, including discussion of private foundations, international development organizations, public and university research programs; and 2) what shapes the questions we deem suitable for social science research. In addition, we also hosted a public panel at the AUC Tahrir Cultural Center in order to guarantee that our work is disseminated as widely as possible.

Workshop in Tunis, Tunisia

This workshop organized by the Research Ethics in the Middle East and North Africa (REMENA) project at Columbia University was implemented in partnership with the Columbia Global Center in Tunis and CEMAT (Le Centre d’Etudes Maghrébines à Tunis). Moreover, the activity took place in Tunis on January 27-28, 2023. The aforesaid endeavor was made possible thanks to the generous funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the President’s Global Innovation Fund at Columbia University.

Our workshop in Tunis focused particularly on research dissemination, including discussion of books and academic journals, public-facing publications and programs, translation, and new media. In addition, we discussed social science research for non-academic purposes with colleagues from NGOS and consultancies, and we devoted a session to working with local partners including research assistants, survey enumerators and translators and interpreters. Finally, we hosted a public panel at the Columbia Global Center in Tunis, so as to be sure our work is itself as widely disseminated as possible.

Workshop in Amman, Jordan

This workshop was organized by the Research Ethics in the Middle East and North Africa (REMENA) project at Columbia University in conjunction with an American Political Science Association Conference: New Landscapes in MENA Politics Research. Organized in partnership with the Columbia Global Center in Amman, the conference took place in Jordan from July 28-30, 2022. This program was made possible thanks to the generous funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the President’s Global Innovation Fund at Columbia University, and the American Political Science Association.

Our workshops at the APSA: New Landscapes in MENA Politics Research conference focused particularly on advising and mentoring the next generation of political scientists. How can advisors of doctoral students and early career researchers in political science ensure that their students and colleagues are best prepared for confronting the ethical dilemmas of research among communities under duress, including the very poor, forced migrants and other marginalized peoples, and in authoritarian settings often hostile to the research enterprise? Drawing together faculty members and doctoral students, the conversations explored mechanisms to support such advisors.