15 months since the launch of “Connecting Social Research to Society” podcast series

As we mark 15 months since the launch of our podcast series “Connecting Social Research to Society”, I am pleased to report that I have conducted 55 interviews, most of which have already been published. The series features scholars in the social sciences and humanities whose work focuses on or takes place within the Arab world. These scholars are distinguished by their notable academic trajectories and active engagement in public debates.

Most interviews are conducted in Arabic, with seven available in English. The featured scholars come from a wide range of countries, including:

    • Algeria: Nasser Jabi, Abdelaziz Barghouth, Badran Lahsen
    • Egypt: Dina Kiwan, Emran El-Badawi, Dina Taha, Heba Raouf, Anwar Moghith, Majdi Abdel Hafez, Ahmad Musa Badawi, Mariz Kelada
    • Iraq: Haidar Saeed
    • Jordan: Mohamad Abu Roman, Mohamad Tabisha
    • Lebanon: Adnan El-Amin, Elizabeth Suzanne Kassab, Saoud El-Mawla, Ghassan Hage, Jihan Sfeir, Carmen Abou Joudeh, Mariz Younes, Ali Abboud, Karim Sadeq, Gilbert Achcar, Heba Khodr, Nayla Abi Nader, Nabil Dajani
    • Morocco: Mohamad Hashas, Rachid Jarmoni, Hamza Esmili, Hassan Rachik
    • Oman: Said Sultan Al-Hashimi
    • Palestine: Issam Nassar, Ahmad Barqawi, Sarah El Bulbeisi, Khaled Hroub, Yasir Sulayman-Maali, Hani Awad, Muhanad Ayyash
    • Saudi Arabia: Rania El-Ardawi
    • Sudan: Manzool Asal and Abdelwahab El-Affandi
    • Syria: Khader Zakaria, Zeina Al Azmeh, Mayada Kiyali, Marta Tawil-Kuri (Mexico), Akeel Almarai,
    • Tunisia: Mounir Saidani
    • USA: Kirsten Scheid and Gary Fields
    • France: Franck Mermier, Rigas Arvanitis, Stéphane Dufoix
    • Greece: Nikolas Kosmatopoulos,
    • Iran: Fariba Adelkhah

Some of the featured scholars reside outside the Arab world, in countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Malaysia, the UK, Australia, Turkey, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. While all social science disciplines are represented, there is a noticeable emphasis on Sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy.

New episodes are released every Wednesday. Over the next months, we aim to expand the geographic diversity of our guests by including scholars from additional Arab countries and across a broader range of disciplines. We also plan to increase the representation of women scholars—from one-third to at least half of our featured guests.

The podcast is available on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and via RSS feed: https://atharportal.net/podcast.

This podcast series is at the initiative of the Portal for Social Impact of Scientific Research in/on the Arab World (Athar), located within the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs and the Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies (both at the American University of Beirut) and in collaboration with Fa3iloon Center (Algeria) and the Arab Council for the Social Sciences.